Table 2.
Military and deployment characteristics for GWI cases and controls [n (%)].a
| Characteristic | GWI cases (n = 144) | Controls (n = 160) | Unadjusted OR (95% CI) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Military characteristicb | ||||||
| Branch of service | ||||||
| Navy | 15 (10) | 34 (21) | 1.0 (referent) | |||
| Air Force | 11 (8) | 17 (11) | 1.47 (0.55, 3.88) | |||
| Marines | 25 (17) | 33 (21) | 1.31 (0.88, 1.95) | |||
| Army | 93 (65) | 75 (47) | 2.81 (1.42, 5.54)* | |||
| Rank | ||||||
| Officer | 20 (14) | 43 (27) | 1.0 (referent) | |||
| Enlisted | 124 (86) | 117 (73) | 2.28 (1.27, 4.10)* | |||
| Deployment locationb | ||||||
| Did not enter Iraq or Kuwait | ||||||
| Primarily at sea during deployment | 6 (4) | 26 (16) | 1.0 (referent) | |||
| On land in support locations | 37 (26) | 58 (36) | 2.76 (1.04, 7.36)* | |||
| Entered Iraq and/or Kuwait | 101 (70) | 76 (48) | 5.76 (2.26, 14.7)* | |||
| Experience or exposurec | ||||||
| Wore a flea collar | 7 (5) | 1 (1) | 8.13 (1.02, 368)* | |||
| Wore uniforms treated with pesticides | 38 (27) | 14 (9) | 3.72 (1.91, 7.21)* | |||
| Took PB pills | 98 (72) | 68 (44) | 3.21 (1.97, 5.24)* | |||
| Used pesticides on skin | 80 (57) | 49 (31) | 2.89 (1.80, 4.64)* | |||
| Saw Iraqis/civilians badly wounded or killed | 93 (65) | 64 (40) | 2.71 (1.70, 4.31)* | |||
| Contact with destroyed enemy vehicles | 86 (60) | 57 (36) | 2.63 (1.65, 4.18)* | |||
| Contact with prisoners of war | 84 (59) | 56 (35) | 2.62 (1.64, 4.17)* | |||
| Exposed to smoke from oil well fires | 117 (82) | 103 (65) | 2.40 (1.41, 4.11)* | |||
| Frequently had < 4 hr sleep in 24 hr | 96 (69) | 79 (49) | 2.24 (1.39, 3.59)* | |||
| Saw or came in contact with dead animals | 75 (54) | 54 (34) | 2.20 (1.38, 3.51)* | |||
| SCUD missile exploded within 1 mile | 67 (48) | 47 (31) | 2.10 (1.30, 3.39)* | |||
| Used or had contact with fresh CARC paint | 38 (29) | 24 (17) | 2.04 (1.14, 3.63)* | |||
| Received ≥ 1 shot in the arm in theater | 99 (73) | 88 (58) | 2.00 (1.21, 3.29)* | |||
| Received ≥ 1 shot in buttocks in theater | 57 (43) | 45 (29) | 1.82 (1.12, 2.98)* | |||
| Directly involved in ground combat | 45 (32) | 40 (25) | 1.42 (0.86, 2.36) | |||
| Saw living area sprayed/fogged with pesticides | 30 (22) | 29 (17) | 1.33 (0.74, 2.37) | |||
| Saw U.S. or allied troops badly wounded or killed | 56 (39) | 52 (33) | 1.31 (0.82, 2.11) | |||
| Heard chemical alarms sounded | 84 (59) | 82 (53) | 1.31 (0.83, 2.07) | |||
| Directly involved in air combat | 9 (6) | 8 (5) | 1.27 (0.48, 3.38) | |||
| aTotals are not equal in all strata because of missing values for some variables. bORs are GWI prevalence ORs for each characteristic, compared with the referent group. cORs are GWI prevalence ORs for having each experience/exposure, compared with not having the experience/exposure. *p < 0.05. | ||||||