Health and exposure concerns of veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan.
OBJECTIVE
We report the clinical concerns of US veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom evaluated at the New Jersey War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center (NJ WRIISC) between June 2004 and January 2006.


METHODS
We conducted a retrospective chart review of veterans' health and exposure concerns.


RESULTS
Veterans (n=56) reported an average of 4 (standard deviation [SD] = 2.1; range, 0-9) physical health concerns, and 2.7 (SD=2.3; range, 0-10) exposure concerns. The majority of veterans (55%) had a mental health concern, most commonly, posttraumatic stress disorder. The most common exposure concerns were depleted uranium, multiple vaccinations, and poor air quality. Greater proportions of Reserve veterans reported genitourinary concerns and exposure to smoke from burning trash than active duty veterans.


CONCLUSIONS
Veterans of military operations in Southwest Asia have deployment-related health and exposure concerns that will need to be addressed by their ambulatory care physicians.
Helmer
Drew A
DA
War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center, VA-New Jersey Healthcare System, East Orange, NJ 07018, USA. drew.helmer@va.gov
Rossignol
Marycarol
M
Blatt
Melissa
M
Agarwal
Ritu
R
Teichman
Ronald
R
Lange
Gudrun
G
D000328:Adult; D000346:Afghanistan; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007493:Iraq; D008297:Male; D008485:Medical Audit; D009515:New Jersey / Q000453:epidemiology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014728:Veterans