title: Military service and lung disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Lung diseases associated with military service are often a reflection of the conditions seen in the local civilian population, and with a few notable exceptions, are often related to unique environmental and occupational exposures.
  
  
  METHODS
  This article reviews important pulmonary diseases that have been associated with military service in the past 100 years in a question-and-answer format.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Traditionally, bacterial and viral pneumonias were the most common sources of military morbidity and mortality. With improved preventive medicine and antimicrobial therapy, other diseases related to battlefield injuries or inhalational exposures have assumed greater importance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The etiology of military morbidity and mortality has evolved over the past century. Many of the discoveries related to vaccine efficacy, trauma resuscitation, interstitial lung disease, and even carcinomas have a strong military association.
authors.affiliation: From the University of Central Florida College of Medicine (Dr Sudhakar and Dr Zacher), Orlando, Fla; Pulmonary/Critical Care Physician (Dr Clagett), San Antonio, Tex; and Orlando Veterans Affairs Medical Center (Dr Zacher), Orlando, Fla.
authors.forename: Deepthi
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Sudhakar
authors.forename: Cynthia L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Clagett
authors.forename: Lisa L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Zacher
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D008171:Lung Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D008889:Military Personnel; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000209:etiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects*; D018410:Pneumonia, Bacterial / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D011024:Pneumonia, Viral / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control