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STUDY: 55% OF RETURNING TROOPS HAVE MENTAL
HEALTH ISSUES -- And concerned about
potentially hazardous
exposures including human waste, vaccinations,
depleted
uranium and smoke from burning trash.
Story here...
http://www.newswise.
com/articles/view/530453/
Story below:
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High Rate of Health Concerns among Iraq and
Afghanistan War Veterans
Description: High Rate of Health Concerns among Iraq and Afghanistan War
Veterans. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a wide range
of health concerns, including a 55 percent prevalence of mental health
issues, reports a study in the May Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
Newswise — Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have a wide
range of health concerns, including a 55 percent prevalence of mental
health issues, reports a study in the May Journal of Occupational and
Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of
Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
Dr. Drew A. Helmer and colleagues analyzed the health concerns of 56
veterans, 45 men and 11 women of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation
Enduring Freedom. Each veteran underwent a comprehensive health
evaluation at the War-Related Illness and Injury Study Center, located
at the VA New Jersey Health Care System in East Orange, N.J.
Of the 56 participants, 17 were active-duty veterans, average age 28
years, and 39 were reservists, average age 36 years. Average length and
time of deployment was eight months and fifteen months respectively.
The evaluations turned up many and varied issues, including an average
of four physical health concerns per veteran. Musculoskeletal problems
were the most common, followed by ear, nose, and throat (ENT) problems,
and gastrointestinal issues. Reservists had more physical health
concerns than active-duty personnel - 4.4 versus 3.1.
Fifty-five percent of the veterans had one or more mental health
concerns, most commonly posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Reservists
had a somewhat higher rate of PTSD than active-duty personnel—48.7
versus 35.3 percent—although the difference was not significant.
Concerns about potentially hazardous exposures were also common - an
average of 2.7 per veteran. The most frequent concerns were exposure to
smoke from burning trash and to human waste, vaccinations, and depleted
uranium (used in munitions). Although few veterans had current health
problems related to toxic exposures, they were concerned about the
possibility of long-term effects.
There is growing interest in how combat and other deployment experiences
affect the health of U.S. military personnel. Routine postdeployment
screening programs have provided useful information for policy
decisions, "but they do not provide the clinical detail necessary for
health care providers to prepare and deliver individualized care to
recently deployed service members," the researchers write.
Dr. Helmer and colleagues call for additional, multidisciplinary
services to address the high prevalence and diversity of health concerns
among veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan. They suggest that
screening for common physical health problems—such as knee pain, back
pain, and rhinitis/sinusitis—should be added to current postdeployment
screening programs for returning veterans. They also urge health care
providers to learn about the possible health effects of potentially
hazardous exposures related to deployment, and to allow time to discuss
these concerns with returning veterans.
ACOEM ( http://www.acoem.org ), an
international society of 5,000 occupational physicians and other health
care professionals, provides leadership to promote optimal health and
safety of workers, workplaces, and environments.
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Larry Scott --
