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Table 4 Association of deployment experiences and exposures with chronic ill health in 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans

From: Association of deployment characteristics and exposures with persistent ill health among 1990-1991 Gulf War veterans in the VA Million Veteran Program

  

Veteran Self-Reports 

General Health 

as Fair/Poor

(SR-Fair/Poor)

Veteran Meets 

CDC Criteria 

for Severe GWIa

(CDC-GWI)

Veteran Told by 

Healthcare Provider 

that he/she has GWI 

(Dx-GWI)

All Veterans

 

Exposed vs 

Not Exposed

 

Exposed vs 

Not Exposed

 

Exposed vs 

Not Exposed

Exposureb / Duration

n

Prev.

ORadjc (99% C.I.)

Prev.

ORadjc (99% C.I.)

Prev.

ORadjc (99% C.I.)

Close Proximity to Smoke from Oil Well Fires

 No

3046

33%

1.0 (ref)

17%

1.0 (ref)

7%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

8599

54%

1.55 (1.35, 1.77)**

36%

1.55 (1.31, 1.83)**

26%

2.14 (1.72, 2.65)**

  1-6 days

1421

48%

1.35 (1.11, 1.65)*

27%

1.19 (0.93, 1.52)

19%

1.52 (1.14, 2.03)*

  7-30 days

2882

52%

1.47 (1.24, 1.74)**

33%

1.32 (1.07, 1.63)*

24%

1.70 (1.32, 2.19)**

  31+ days

3807

58%

1.78 (1.52, 2.09)**

42%

1.97 (1.63, 2.38)**

31%

2.62 (2.08, 3.31)**

(Not sure: n=1740)

50%

1.49 (1.25, 1.77)*

26%

1.21 (0.97, 1.50)

15%

1.59 (1.21, 2.08)**

Directly Involved in Ground Combat

 No

8550

43%

1.0 (ref)

24%

1.0 (ref)

14%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

4195

59%

1.29 (1.14, 1.46)**

42%

1.51 (1.32, 1.72)**

32%

1.58 (1.37, 1.82)**

  1-6 days

1878

56%

1.24 (1.06, 1.45)*

37%

1.26 (1.06, 1.50)*

28%

1.32 (1.10, 1.58)**

  7-30 days

1278

59%

1.30 (1.09, 1.56)*

44%

1.62 (1.34, 1.97)**

35%

1.77 (1.45, 2.15)**

  31+ days

812

66%

1.54 (1.23, 1.93)**

53%

2.02 (1.60, 2.55)**

36%

1.71 (1.35, 2.17)**

(Not sure: n=402)

62%

1.38 (1.03, 1.85)*

43%

1.47 (1.07, 2.01)*

32%

1.72 (1.25, 2.36)**

Took Pyridostigmine Bromide Pills

 No

3241

33%

1.0 (ref)

17%

1.0 (ref)

7%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

7581

55%

1.41 (1.22, 1.62)**

37%

1.35 (1.14, 1.61)**

28%

2.55 (2.04, 3.19)**

  1-6 days

1664

51%

1.38 (1.14, 1.67)*

31%

1.17 (0.93, 1.47)

24%

2.13 (1.62, 2.80)**

  7-30 days

2140

55%

1.50 (1.24, 1.81)**

37%

1.41 (1.13, 1.76)**

28%

2.49 (1.91, 3.25)**

  31+ days

2856

58%

1.59 (1.33, 1.91)**

42%

1.58 (1.28, 1.94)**

31%

2.56 (1.98, 3.31)**

(Not sure: n=2624)

49%

1.35 (1.15, 1.58)**

28%

1.23 (1.01, 1.50)*

15%

1.73 (1.34, 2.23)**

Exposed to Chemical/Biological Warfare Agents

 No

3400

30%

1.0 (ref)

15%

1.0 (ref)

5%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

2773

67%

2.74 (2.30, 3.28)**

51%

3.29 (2.68, 4.05)**

44%

5.77 (4.45, 7.48)**

  1-6 days

1020

62%

2.37 (1.89, 2.97)**

45%

2.79 (2.16, 3.61)**

37%

4.51 (3.33, 6.09)**

  7-30 days

749

63%

2.50 (1.93, 3.23)**

50%

3.09 (2.33, 4.09)**

47%

6.27 (4.57, 8.62)**

  31+ days

768

75%

3.93 (2.98, 5.18)**

63%

4.94 (3.71, 6.57)**

51%

6.84 (4.97, 9.42)**

(Not sure: n=7204)

51%

1.66 (1.45, 1.91)**

30%

1.71 (1.43, 2.05)**

19%

2.27 (1.78, 2.90)**

Used Pesticide Cream or Liquid on Your Skin

 No

5585

38%

1.0 (ref)

20%

1.0 (ref)

11%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

5376

58%

1.58 (1.39, 1.80)**

41%

1.80 (1.55, 2.09)**

30%

1.77 (1.50, 2.08)**

  1-6 days

388

55%

1.56 (1.15, 2.10)*

29%

1.16 (0.82, 1.65)

28%

1.63 (1.14, 2.31)*

  7-30 days

1237

55%

1.53 (1.26, 1.85)**

38%

1.67 (1.35, 2.08)**

28%

1.64 (1.30, 2.07)**

  31+ days

3272

61%

1.75 (1.50, 2.03)**

45%

2.13 (1.80, 2.52)**

31%

1.76 (1.47, 2.12)**

(Not sure: n=2389)

54%

1.29 (1.11, 1.50)*

33%

1.43 (1.20, 1.71)*

21%

1.32 (1.08, 1.61)*

Wore a Uniform Treated with Pesticides

 No

5812

40%

1.0 (ref)

22%

1.0 (ref)

13%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

3006

57%

1.12 (0.95, 1.30)

42%

1.21 (1.02, 1.45)*

30%

1.19 (0.99, 1.44)

  1-6 days

162

51%

1.01 (0.64, 1.60)

42%

1.27 (0.77, 2.10)

26%

1.19 (0.71, 2.00)

  7-30 days

463

56%

1.18 (0.88, 1.57)

39%

1.21 (0.89, 1.65)

30%

1.29 (0.94, 1.78)

  31+ days

2112

58%

1.16 (0.97, 1.38)

43%

1.27 (1.05, 1.54)*

31%

1.16 (0.95, 1.43)

(Not sure: n=4499)

55%

1.11 (0.97, 1.27)

35%

1.14 (0.97, 1.33)

24%

1.10 (0.93, 1.31)

Used Insect Baits/No Pest Strips in Your Living Area

 No

5,629

40%

1.0 (ref)

23%

1.0 (ref)

13%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

4,839

56%

1.16 (1.02, 1.31)*

40%

1.26 (1.09, 1.46)**

29%

1.35 (1.15, 1.58)**

  1-6 days

113

54%

1.30 (0.76, 2.23)

36%

1.36 (0.76, 2.41)

22%

1.07 (0.56, 2.02)

  7-30 days

619

53%

1.02 (0.79, 1.31)

37%

1.10 (0.83, 1.45)

28%

1.23 (0.92, 1.65)

  31+ days

3,647

57%

1.18 (1.03, 1.36)*

41%

1.31 (1.12, 1.53)**

29%

1.34 (1.13, 1.58)**

(Not sure: n=2905)

53%

1.15 (0.99, 1.32)

31%

1.01 (0.86, 1.19)

20%

1.11 (0.93, 1.34)

Worked with Prisoners of War

 No

9768

46%

1.0 (ref)

27%

1.0 (ref)

17%

1.0 (ref)

 Yes

3169

56%

1.02 (0.90, 1.17)

40%

1.11 (0.97, 1.28)

30%

1.15 (0.99, 1.33)

  1-6 days

1361

57%

1.07 (0.90, 1.28)

39%

1.11 (0.91, 1.34)

28%

1.06 (0.87, 1.29)

  7-30 days

944

54%

0.93 (0.76, 1.14)

40%

1.13 (0.90, 1.40)

31%

1.12 (0.90, 1.40)

  31+ days

664

58%

1.13 (0.89, 1.73)

42%

1.21 (0.94, 1.56)

33%

1.36 (1.05, 1.75)*

(Not sure: n=330)

62%

1.23 (0.89, 1.72)

43%

1.32 (0.93, 1.88)

32%

1.54 (1.08, 2.19)*

  1. Abbreviations: GWI Gulf War illness, Prev Prevalence, OR adj Adjusted prevalence odds ratio, 99% C.I. 99% confidence interval, (ref) reference group
  2. aGWI defined according to U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) criteria for severe chronic multisymptom illness13
  3. bMissing values for deployment experiences/exposures: Oil Fire Smoke n=718; Ground Combat n=956; Took PB Pills n=657; Exposed to Chem/Bio Agents n=726; Used Skin Pesticides n=753; Wore Uniform w/Pesticides n=786; Used Insect Baits/strips n=730; Worked w/POWs n=836
  4. cLogistic regression models adjusted for other significant experiences/exposures in theater (oil fire smoke, serving in combat, taking pyridostigmine bromide pills, using pesticides on skin, using fly baits/no-pest strips in living area), military rank (Enlisted vs. Officers), sex, age, race
  5. *Adjusted prevalence OR significant, p<0.01; **Adjusted prevalence OR significant, p<0.0001
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