Health of US veterans of 1991 Gulf War: a follow-up survey in 10 years.
OBJECTIVE
To assess periodically the health status of a cohort of 1991 Gulf War veterans by comparing various health outcomes with those of their military peers who were not deployed to the Gulf.


METHODS
We conducted a follow-up health survey to collect health information among population-based samples of 30,000 veterans (15,000 Gulf War veterans and 15,000 Gulf Era veterans) using a structured questionnaire.


RESULTS
Gulf veterans reported significantly higher rates of unexplained multi-symptom illness, chronic fatigue syndrome-like illness, posttraumatic stress disorder, functional impairment, health care utilization, a majority of selected physical conditions and all mental disorders queried during the survey than did Gulf Era veteran controls.


CONCLUSIONS
Fourteen years after deployment, 1991 Gulf War veterans continue to report a higher prevalence of many adverse health outcomes, compared with Gulf Era veterans.
Kang
Han K
HK
Department of Veterans Affairs, Environmental Epidemiology Service, Washington DC 20420, USA. han.kang@va.gov
Li
Bo
B
Mahan
Clare M
CM
Eisen
Seth A
SA
Engel
Charles C
CC