Determination of the reasons for unfitness for military service in Turkey.

This study aims to evaluate the frequencies and diagnosis types of cases in which young adult males were classified as unfit for military service before or during military service. This cross-sectional study was conducted between November 1998 and October 1999 by investigating the military medical board records of 21,985 "unfit" cases. Unfit for military service decisions were based on any of 436 different diagnoses. Twenty-three diagnosis types, each with a frequency of greater than 1.0%, collectively accounted for the majority of cases (59.2%). Initial medical examinations before service detected 64.0% of cases, whereas the remaining 36.0% were detected during service. Initial medical examinations can be a remarkable data source to determine the health profile of a young adult male population. High rates of failure in initial medical examinations call for improvements to initial medical examination procedures, which should eventually lead to cost savings for the military.