Health-related quality of life in Persian Gulf War Veterans.
OBJECTIVE
The objective of this investigation is to describe the health-related quality of life of Persian Gulf War (GW) veterans and to examine the effects of current chronic medical conditions and psychiatric status on physical functioning.


METHODS
To measure health-related quality of life, the Medical Outcomes Short Form Survey (SF36) was administered approximately 4 years after the GW to a stratified, random sample of New England-area GW-deployed veterans and a group of military personnel deployed to Germany during the GW. The SF36 scores for the GW-deployed study population (N = 141) were compared with those for the Germany-deployed group (N = 46) and with published U.S. population norms. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to identify risk factors associated with lower physical health functioning in the GW-deployed study group.


RESULTS
Functional health status was significantly lower in the GW-deployed group compared with the Germany-deployed group for each of the SF36 subscales and the two summary scores (Physical Component Summary [PCS] and Mental Component Summary). Compared with the general U.S. population, the GW-deployed group median was between the 25th and 50th percentile for the Physical Functioning subscale and the PCS score. Within the GW-deployed group, lower education, psychological symptomatology, and a higher number of chronic self-reported medical conditions were significant predictors of the PCS score.


CONCLUSIONS
GW-deployed veterans report lower functional health status compared with a group of Germany-deployed veterans and published general U.S. population norms. Within the group of GW-deployed veterans, several current medical and psychological conditions predictive of lower physical functioning levels were identified.
Proctor
S P
SP
Boston Environmental Hazards Center, National Center for PTSD, VA Boston Healthcare System, Boston, MA, USA.
Harley
R
R
Wolfe
J
J
Heeren
T
T
White
R F
RF
D000328:Adult; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008889:Military Personnel; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014728:Veterans