title: Health effects in Army Gulf War veterans possibly exposed to chemical munitions destruction at Khamisiyah, Iraq: Part II. Morbidity associated with notification of potential exposure.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine the association of notification of potential exposure to chemical warfare agents in the 1991 Gulf War with subsequent self-reported morbidity. The study sample included 1,056 deployed Army Gulf War veterans who responded to the 1995 National Health Survey of Gulf War Era Veterans and who were resurveyed in 2000. One-half of the subjects had been notified of potential exposure to chemical warfare agents and one-half had not. Comparing notified and non-notified subjects, there were no statistically significant differences with respect to bed days, activity limitations, clinic visits, or hospital visits. Among 71 self-reported medical conditions and symptoms, there were 5 statistically significant differences, 4 of which were for lower rates of illness among notified subjects. Our findings contradict the prevailing notion that perceived exposure to chemical warfare agents should be considered an important cause of morbidity among Gulf War veterans.
authors.affiliation: Medical Follow-up Agency, Institute of Medicine, Washington, DC 20001, USA.
authors.forename: William F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Page
authors.forename: Clare M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Mahan
authors.forename: Han K
authors.initials: HK
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Tim A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Bullman
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018563:Disease Notification; D004781:Environmental Exposure; D005260:Female; D047830:Gulf War; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D008887:Military Medicine; D009017:Morbidity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States; D014728:Veterans
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances