TY - JOUR
T1 - Pregnancy outcomes among U.S. Gulf War veterans
T2 - A population-based survey of 30,000 veterans
AU - Kang, Han
AU - Magee, Carol
AU - Mahan, Clare
AU - Lee, Kyung
AU - Murphy, Frances
AU - Jackson, Leila
AU - Matanoski, Genevieve
N1 - Funding Information:
This project received support from the Medical Research Service, Office of Research and Development, Department of Veterans Affairs. Howard Fishbein, DrPH, and his staff at the Gallup Organization undertook the location, tracing and telephone interviews of the study participants.
PY - 2001
Y1 - 2001
N2 - PURPOSE: We evaluated an association between veterans' Gulf War service and reported adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a health survey in which selected reproductive outcomes of a population-based sample of 15,000 Gulf War veterans representing four military branches and three unit components (active, reserve, and National Guard) were compared to those of 15,000 non-Gulf veteran controls. RESULTS: Male Gulf veterans, compared with their non-Gulf veteran controls, reported a significantly higher rate of miscarriage (odds ratio [OR] = 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.32-1.99). Female Gulf veterans also reported more miscarriages than their respective controls, although their excess was not statistically significant (OR= 1.35; CI = 0.97-1.89). Both men and women deployed to the Gulf theater reported significant excesses of birth defects among their liveborn infants. These excess rates also extended to the subset of "moderate to severe" birth defects [males: OR= 1.78 (CI = 1.19-2.66); females: OR = 2.80 (CI = 1.26-6.25)]. No statistically significant differences by deployment status were found among men or women for stillbirths, pre-term deliveries or infant mortality. CONCLUSION: The risk of veterans reporting birth defects among their children was significantly associated with veteran's military service in the Gulf War. This observation needs to be confirmed by a review of medical records to rule out possible reporting bias.
AB - PURPOSE: We evaluated an association between veterans' Gulf War service and reported adverse pregnancy outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a health survey in which selected reproductive outcomes of a population-based sample of 15,000 Gulf War veterans representing four military branches and three unit components (active, reserve, and National Guard) were compared to those of 15,000 non-Gulf veteran controls. RESULTS: Male Gulf veterans, compared with their non-Gulf veteran controls, reported a significantly higher rate of miscarriage (odds ratio [OR] = 1.62; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.32-1.99). Female Gulf veterans also reported more miscarriages than their respective controls, although their excess was not statistically significant (OR= 1.35; CI = 0.97-1.89). Both men and women deployed to the Gulf theater reported significant excesses of birth defects among their liveborn infants. These excess rates also extended to the subset of "moderate to severe" birth defects [males: OR= 1.78 (CI = 1.19-2.66); females: OR = 2.80 (CI = 1.26-6.25)]. No statistically significant differences by deployment status were found among men or women for stillbirths, pre-term deliveries or infant mortality. CONCLUSION: The risk of veterans reporting birth defects among their children was significantly associated with veteran's military service in the Gulf War. This observation needs to be confirmed by a review of medical records to rule out possible reporting bias.
KW - Birth defects
KW - Gulf War
KW - Spontaneous abortions
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0034847857&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=0034847857&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S1047-2797(01)00245-9
DO - 10.1016/S1047-2797(01)00245-9
M3 - Article
C2 - 11557183
AN - SCOPUS:0034847857
SN - 1047-2797
VL - 11
SP - 504
EP - 511
JO - Annals of epidemiology
JF - Annals of epidemiology
IS - 7
ER -