Retention of mild asthmatics in the navy (REMAIN): a low-risk approach to giving mild asthmatics an opportunity for military service.
OBJECTIVE
Rising U.S. asthma prevalence will be reflected in military applicants. We studied retaining mild asthmatics on active duty.


METHODS
A cohort study at Great Lakes Naval Training Center from 2000 to 2002 compared recruits diagnosed during basic training with mild asthma to matched comparison recruits on outpatient visits, hospitalizations, and discharge through August 2003.


RESULTS
A total of 136 asthmatic and 404 control subjects were enrolled. Overall attrition was greater among the asthma cohort (p < 0.01), largely during training. Asthmatics used more health care than controls during training (0.1 vs. 0.004 per person-month). No asthma-related hospitalizations or deaths occurred during the study.


CONCLUSIONS
Although attrition during recruit training was higher in mild asthmatics, nearly 40% of recruits were retained on active duty without significant risk of hospitalization or excessive outpatient treatment after recruit training. These findings argue for consideration of a trial on active duty for recruits with mild asthma.
Millikan
Amy M
AM
Department of Epidemiology, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, 503 Robert Grant Avenue, Silver Spring, MD 20910-7500, USA.
Niebuhr
David W
DW
Brundage
Mary
M
Powers
Timothy E
TE
Krauss
Margot R
MR
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D016210:Methacholine Chloride; D008889:Military Personnel; D009326:Naval Medicine; D016272:Occupational Health; D016134:Organizational Policy; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology
D016210:Methacholine Chloride