OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the pattern of war-related illness (WRI) symptoms among returnees of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) living on Long Island, NY. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous mail survey of WRI symptoms of a random cohort of 786 returnees (718 male, 68 female) living on Long Island from among 5,500 who registered with the OIF/OEF Registry. RESULTS: From among the 786 returnees whom we surveyed, we subsequently excluded 111 whose surveys were either returned unopened or who changed address. Two hundred seventy-four of the remaining 675 returnees responded to the survey (a 41% response rate). Disabling WRI symptoms were documented in approximately 2/3 of the responders and 75% of these responders had two or more symptoms. CONCLUSION: War-related illness symptoms are very common among OIF/OEF returnees suggesting the need for management strategies targeting their symptoms. BACKGROUND: Military conflicts have produced war-related illness (WRI) among our troops and veterans since the Civil War. Common to all these WRIs are a group of symptoms including body pain, fatigue, headache, sleep disturbance, diarrhea, forgetfulness, and impaired concentration. Also common to them is the absence of a discernable pathophysiology. Because WRI is poorly understood, we cannot prevent new occurrences with each new engagement of our armed forces.
OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine the pattern of war-related illness (WRI) symptoms among returnees of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) living on Long Island, NY. METHODS: We conducted an anonymous mail survey of WRI symptoms of a random cohort of 786 returnees (718 male, 68 female) living on Long Island from among 5,500 who registered with the OIF/OEF Registry. RESULTS: From among the 786 returnees whom we surveyed, we subsequently excluded 111 whose surveys were either returned unopened or who changed address. Two hundred seventy-four of the remaining 675 returnees responded to the survey (a 41% response rate). Disabling WRI symptoms were documented in approximately 2/3 of the responders and 75% of these responders had two or more symptoms. CONCLUSION: War-related illness symptoms are very common among OIF/OEF returnees suggesting the need for management strategies targeting their symptoms. BACKGROUND: Military conflicts have produced war-related illness (WRI) among our troops and veterans since the Civil War. Common to all these WRIs are a group of symptoms including body pain, fatigue, headache, sleep disturbance, diarrhea, forgetfulness, and impaired concentration. Also common to them is the absence of a discernable pathophysiology. Because WRI is poorly understood, we cannot prevent new occurrences with each new engagement of our armed forces.
Authors: Scott G Williams; Jacob Collen; Nicholas Orr; Aaron B Holley; Christopher J Lettieri Journal: Sleep Breath Date: 2014-04-22 Impact factor: 2.816
Authors: Christi S Ulmer; Hayden B Bosworth; Anne Germain; Jennifer Lindquist; Maren Olsen; Mira Brancu; Jean C Beckham Journal: J Behav Med Date: 2015-03-27
Authors: Mohammad M Amin; Zuzana Belisova; Sayeed Hossain; Morris S Gold; Joan E Broderick; Avram R Gold Journal: Sleep Breath Date: 2010-08-12 Impact factor: 2.816
Authors: Christi S Ulmer; Elizabeth Van Voorhees; Anne E Germain; Corrine I Voils; Jean C Beckham Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2015-09-15 Impact factor: 4.062