Can epidemiology clear the fog of war? Lessons from the 1990-91 Gulf War.
نویسندگان
چکیده
Despite over US $200 million having been spent researching illnesses following the 1990-91 Persian Gulf War, the nature and cause of such illnesses remains controversial. In this narrative review, we discuss some of the methodological issues that have affected epidemiological studies on this topic. These include low-response rates, ascertainment bias, recall bias, problems identifying suitable control groups, and problems defining the outcomes to study. From this we argue that difficulties have arisen partly owing to the significant delay between the point at which illnesses were first identified by veterans and the reporting of epidemiological studies and that health surveillance should be routine following future deployments.
منابع مشابه
Investigating the risk of cancer in 1990-1991 US Gulf War veterans with the use of state cancer registry data.
PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to determine whether proportional cancer incidence is greater among Gulf War veterans compared with non-Gulf War veterans. METHODS Files obtained from the Defense Manpower Data Center included data for 621,902 veterans who were deployed to the Persian Gulf during the 1990 to 1991 Gulf War (August 2, 1990, to March 1, 1991) and 746,248 non-Gulf War veteran...
متن کاملHealth of UK servicemen who served in Persian Gulf War.
BACKGROUND Various symptoms in military personnel in the Persian Gulf War 1990-91 have caused international speculation and concern. We investigated UK servicemen. METHODS We did a cross-sectional postal survey on a random sample of Gulf War veterans (Gulf War cohort, n=4248) and, stratified for age and rank, servicemen deployed to the Bosnia conflict (Bosnia cohort, n=4250) and those serving...
متن کاملSkin disease in Gulf war veterans.
BACKGROUND Gulf war veterans report more symptomatic ill-health than other military controls, and skin disease is one of the most frequent reasons for military personnel to seek medical care. AIM To compare the nature and prevalence of skin disease in UK Gulf veterans with non-Gulf veterans, and to assess whether skin disease is associated with disability. DESIGN Prospective case comparison...
متن کاملGulf War Veterans: Evidence for Chromosome Alterations and their Significance
A significant portion of veterans who were deployed to the 1990 Gulf War developed Gulf War Illnesses (GWI), which are mainly characterised by persistent muskuloskeletal pain, fatigue, and cognitive problems (concentration, memory, and attention difficulties), and a large number of other signs and symptoms (1). In addition, Gulf War veterans who developed chronic abdominal pain and diarrhea exh...
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ورودعنوان ژورنال:
- International journal of epidemiology
دوره 34 4 شماره
صفحات -
تاریخ انتشار 2005