War-Related Illness Symptoms Among Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom Returnees

Objective: Our objective was to determine the pattern of war-related illness (WRI) symptoms among returnees of Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom (OIF/OEF) living on Long Island, NY. Methods: We conducted an anonymous mail survey of WRI symptoms of a random cohort of 786 returnees (718 male, 68 female) living on Long Island from among 5,500 who registered with the OIF/OEF Registry. Results: From among the 786 returnees whom we surveyed, we subsequently excluded 111 whose surveys were either returned unopened or who changed address. Two hundred seventy-four of the remaining 675 returnees responded to the survey (a 41% response rate). Disabling WRI symptoms were documented in approximately 2/3 of the responders and 75% of these responders had two or more symptoms. Conclusion: War-related illness symptoms are very common among OIF/OEF returnees suggesting the need for management strategies targeting their symptoms. Background: Military conflicts have produced war-related illness (WRI) among our troops and veterans since the Civil War. Common to all these WRIs are a group of symptoms including body pain, fatigue, headache, sleep disturbance, diarrhea, forgetfulness, and impaired concentration. Also common to them is the absence of a discernable pathophysiology. Because WRI is poorly understood, we cannot prevent new occurrences with each new engagement of our armed forces.