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Published on: January 8, 2020
Mortality among UK Gulf War veterans
G J Macfarlane1, E Thomas, N Cherry
1Unit of Chronic Disease Epidemiology, School of Epidemiology and Health Sciences, University of Manchester, UK. G.Macfarlane@man.ac.uk
Lancet (London, England)
|July 13, 2000
Summary
Gulf War veterans experienced a very small, not statistically significant increase in mortality compared to non-deployed personnel. The excess deaths were primarily due to accidents, not disease, aligning with patterns seen in other veteran groups.
Area of Science:
- Military Medicine
- Epidemiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Gulf War veterans report higher rates of current ill-health compared to non-deployed personnel.
- Concerns exist regarding potentially higher mortality rates among Gulf War veterans.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate mortality rates among UK Gulf War veterans.
- To compare mortality risks between deployed and non-deployed military personnel.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective cohort study of 53,462 UK Gulf War veterans (Gulf cohort).
- A matched comparison cohort (Era cohort) of non-deployed personnel.
- Follow-up from April 1, 1991, to March 31, 1999, using Office for National Statistics data.
Main Results:
- A total of 395 deaths in the Gulf cohort and 378 in the Era cohort were recorded (MRR 1.05, 95% CI 0.91-1.21).
- Higher mortality from external causes (accidents) was observed in the Gulf cohort (MRR 1.18 [0.98-1.42]).
- Lower mortality from disease-related causes was observed in the Gulf cohort (MRR 0.87 [0.67-1.11]).
Conclusions:
- Eight years post-conflict, Gulf War veterans showed a very small excess mortality rate, not statistically significant.
- The excess mortality was predominantly linked to accidents, not disease.
- This pattern is consistent with findings for US Gulf War veterans and veterans of other conflicts.
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