Are Gulf War veterans suffering war-related illnesses? Federal and civilian hospitalizations examined, June 1991 to December 1994

A previous epidemiologic study demonstrated no unexplained increase in risk for postwar hospitalization among Gulf War veterans who had remained on ac tive duty. The authors sought to expand this study to include Reserve and s eparated military personnel. They examined hospitalization data from the De partment of Defense, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), and the Calif ornia Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development hospital systems for the years 1991-1994. Since denominator data were not available, the aut hors compared the proportional morbidity ratios (PMRs) of hospitalization d ischarge diagnoses (both large categories and specific diagnoses) between G ulf War veterans and other veterans of the same era. There were no indicati ons that Gulf War veterans were suffering increased PMRs for infectious dis eases; neoplasms; endocrine diseases; blood diseases; skin conditions; or d iseases of the nervous system, circulatory system, or musculoskeletal syste m. However, these veterans did experience proportionally more hospitalizati ons for various specific diagnoses, namely, fractures and bone and soft-tis sue injuries (Department of Defense and California Office of Statewide Heal th Planning and Development), various diseases of the respiratory (includin g asthma) and digestive systems (VA), and diverse symptom diagnoses (VA). W hile these findings may be influenced by chance or by a number of potential confounders, including health registry participation, they merit further e xamination using other study designs.