title: Danish Gulf War Veterans Revisited: No Evidence of Increased Sickness Absence or Reduced Labor Market Outcome After Deployment to the Persian Gulf.
abstract: To examine the assumption that postdeployment incidence of sickness and other absence from work are higher among Gulf War Veterans compared with nonveterans.
  
  
  
  A prospective registry study including a cohort of 721 Danish Gulf War Veterans and a control cohort of 3,629 nonveterans selected from the general Danish population. Outcome measures were up to 23 years postdeployment incidence of (1) long-term sickness absence and (2) long-term all types of absence from work. Long term with regard to sickness and other absence was defined as exceeding 8 weeks. The association between outcomes and information on deployment history was studied using time-to-event analysis. The index date was the return date from the last deployment to the Gulf. The follow-up period was the time from index date until April 27, 2014.
  
  
  
  As the main finding, no difference was found between veterans and nonveterans in the incidence rate of long-term sickness absence. After an initial short period (3 months) with elevated incidence rate of long-term absence from work among veterans, there was no difference between the cohorts.
  
  
  
  Among Danish Gulf War Veterans, no postdeployment increased risk of long-term sickness absence or long-term absence from work was found as compared with nonveterans.
authors.affiliation: Research and Knowledge Centre, The Danish Veteran Centre, Garnisonen 1, DK-4100 Ringsted, Denmark.
authors.forename: Lars Ravnborg
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Nissen
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Holbaek, Smedelundsgade 60, DK-4300 Holbaek, Denmark.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stoltenberg
authors.affiliation: Research and Knowledge Centre, The Danish Veteran Centre, Garnisonen 1, DK-4100 Ringsted, Denmark.
authors.forename: Anni B Sternhagen
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.affiliation: Research and Knowledge Centre, The Danish Veteran Centre, Garnisonen 1, DK-4100 Ringsted, Denmark.
authors.forename: Mia S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Vedtofte
authors.affiliation: Copenhagen City Heart Study, Frederiksberg Hospital, Nordre Fasanvej 57, DK-2000 Frederiksberg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Jacob L
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Marott
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Bispebjerg, Bispebjerg bakke 23, DK-2400 Bispebjerg, Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Finn
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gyntelberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Occupational Medicine, Copenhagen University Hospital Holbaek, Smedelundsgade 60, DK-4300 Holbaek, Denmark.
authors.forename: Bernadette
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Guldager
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019156:Indian Ocean; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012042:Registries; D014728:Veterans / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014857:Warfare