Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government
Veterans Benefits and Health Care About VA Find a VA Location

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

The war-related illness and injury study centers: a resource for deployment-related health concerns.

Lincoln AE, Helmer DA, Schneiderman AI, Li M, Copeland HL, Prisco MK, Wallin MT, Kang HK, Natelson BH. The war-related illness and injury study centers: a resource for deployment-related health concerns. Military medicine. 2006 Jul 1; 171(7):577-85.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.    Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions


Abstract:

Combat veterans often return from deployment having experienced a wide range of exposures, symptoms, and medical conditions. The Department of Veterans Affairs established war-related illness and injury study centers to serve combat veterans with unexplained illnesses. We report the exposures, clinical status, and utilization of 53 combat veterans who participated in the National Referral Program (NRP) from January 2002 until March 2004. Participants were primarily male (81%) and served in the Persian Gulf War (79%). Common diagnoses were chronic fatigue syndrome (n = 23, 43%), neurotic depression (n = 21, 40%), and post-traumatic stress disorder (n = 20, 38%). Self-reported exposures related to weaponry, disease prophylaxis, environmental hazards, stress, and poor hygiene. A small increase in mean SF-36V mental component scores (2.8 points, p = 0.009) and use of rehabilitation therapies (1.6 additional visits, p = 0.018) followed the NRP referral. The small gain in mental function suggests that the NRP may benefit combat veterans with long and complex medical histories.




Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.