Human Casualties and War: Results of a National Epidemiologic Survey in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Limited studies have reported epidemiologic data on the impact of Iran-Iraq war. This study examines the war casualties for both combatants and civilians on Iranians at national level. METHODS: Databases of Veterans and Martyrs Affair Foundation (VMAF), Janbazan Medical and Engineering Research Center (JMERC) and Ministry of Health were used to collect the data. The prevalence of injuries for both civilians and combatants was presented. Casualties were studied based on conventional and unconventional weapons attacks (1980-2018), separately. RESULTS: The Iran-Iraq war led to 183623 lost lives, 554990 injured and 40240 captured. The mean length of captivity was 45.7 months (1 month-19 years) and 2.7% (n = 575) died in captivity. There were 1439180 war related injuries recorded in databanks, mostly affecting men (98.4%). About 1439180 injuries were recorded, most of them related to conventional weapons (938928 [65.24%]). Remaining artillery and mortar fragmentation in the body (39.5%, n = 371236), psychological disorders (15.9%, n = 228944), and exposure to chemical weapons (11%, n = 158817) were the most prevalent war-related injuries. CONCLUSION: Human casualties of the Iran-Iraq war on the Iranian side and the health care system are huge even after more than three decades.

Mental health among Iranian combat veterans with ankle-foot neuromusculoskeletal injuries.

BACKGROUND: Veterans with purely physical disorders, such as ankle-foot neuromusculoskeletal disorders, are often neglected in psychological assessments because mental health evaluations are usually focused on those with a psychological disturbance or with a high percentage of injury. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychological condition of veterans with ankle-foot neuromusculoskeletal disorders. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was performed between 2014 and 2016 on veterans with war-related ankle-foot injuries living in two provinces of Iran. An information form for demographic data and injury-related factors was used. Additionally, the previously validated Persian version of the Symptom Checklist-90-Revision (SCL-90-R) questionnaire was used for data collection. RESULTS: The respondents were 215 male veterans with a mean age of 51.7 ± 7.5 years. The most common mental health problems were observed for the somatization (24.7%), obsessions-compulsions (14.4%), and anxiety (12.6%). Based on the Global Severity Index (GSI), 48.6% of individuals had a possible psychiatric/psychological illness. According to the multivariate regression analysis, GSI scores were significantly higher among veterans who were older than 27 years at the time of injury (P = 0.005), had an associated injury (P = 0.002), and had a history of hospitalization within the past 12 months for reasons other than their injury (P = 0.035). CONCLUSIONS: Approximately half of the combat veterans with ankle-foot neuromusculoskeletal disorders likely had psychological problems. The evaluation of the patterns and predicting factors of psychological conditions may inform strategic planning efforts and decision-making, which, in turn, may provide a better quality of life for veterans. Further studies that utilize longitudinal designs are needed to evaluate and compare the psychological status of different groups of veterans and other groups in the general population.

Determinants of Quality of Life in the Caregivers of Iranian War Survivors with Bilateral Lower-Limb Amputation after More than Two Decades.

BACKGROUND: Providing care to a disable relative at home exposes the caregiver to a potentially higher risk of physical and mental problems. We measured health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and its determinants among the caregivers of the Iranian survivors of the Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) with bilateral lower-limb amputation. METHODS: Data were collected from 464 individuals comprising war-related bilateral lower-limb amputees (n=232) and their caregivers (n=232) in January 2015 in Shiraz, Iran. The 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) questionnaire was used to evaluate the caregivers' QOL. Logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the most significant contributing factors. RESULTS: The mean age of the caregivers and the amputees was 39.4±6.2 and 42.5±6.2 years, respectively. The mean duration of disability was 22.8±3.9 years in the amputees. Most of the caregivers were reported to be in their first marriage. The highest and lowest mean scores of the SF-36 domains in the sample population were observed for physical function (76.65±21.97) and bodily pain (53.54±24.95). QOL in the caregivers was significantly lower than that in a sample of the general Iranian female population (P<0.05). History of hospitalization during the preceding year of the study (OR: 2.23, 95% CI: 1.08 to 4.57, P=0.02) and mental health problems (OR: 1.79, 95% CI: 1.02 to 3.15, P=0.04) in the amputees constituted the most important predicting factors in the caregivers' QOL. CONCLUSION: The caregivers of the bilateral lower-limb amputees in the current study suffered from a poor QOL. Hospitalization and mental problems were the most significant contributing factors vis-à-vis the caregivers' HRQOL. Health care and services should, therefore, be provided to both amputees and their caregivers.

Epidemiological Study of Child Casualties of Landmines and Unexploded Ordnances: A National Study from Iran.

BACKGROUND: Despite landmine-risk education programs and extensive demining activities on the Western border of Iran, landmines and unexploded ordnance (UXOs) still cause civilian and child casualties three decades after the Iraq-Iran war (1980-1988). The objective of this study was to understand the epidemiological patterns and risk factors of injury in child casualties of landmines and UXOs in Western and Southwestern Iran. METHODS: Children who were 18 years old or younger at the time of study and who sustained injuries from landmines and UXOs were identified through a search at the Iranian National Veterans Registry. These children participated in a 5-day gathering. The information on socioeconomic status, health-related issues, quality of life, health care utilization, and clinical profiles concerning the landmine and UXO injuries were collected. The method of data collection consisted of three component surveys: health interview, social survey, and medical examinations. Social surveys and health interviews were conducted in a face-to-face method by utilizing a questionnaire consisting of 39 questions addressing household and individual components, including information on time and type of injuries, physical activity, mental health, and quality of life. A comprehensive team of physicians in different subspecialties evaluated and examined children to assess the current medical and psychiatric conditions and physical activity, and recommended and arranged further medical, rehabilitation, or surgical planning. RESULTS: Seventy-eight child casualties were identified and participated in the study. The mean age of the participants at the time of study was 16.11 years old (SD=2 years). The mean age of victims at the time of injury was 8.2 years (SD=3.12 years; ranged from 2 to 15 years old). Sixty-seven (85.9%) of the children were male. Provinces of Kurdistan and Kermanshah had the highest number of casualties, with a total number of 54 children (68.3%). Eighty percent of the injuries were caused by landmines, and UXO explosions were reported in 20% of the cases. Overall, 24 children (30%) had received some landmine-risk education before or after the events. Sixty percent of the explosions had happened in the morning between 9:00 am and 12:00 pm. Playing and grazing livestock were the most prevalent activities/reasons at the time of injury, which were reported in 77% of the subjects. Sixty-three percent of incidents had multiple casualties and in only 13 explosions were the children the only victims of the explosion. The most prevalent injuries were amputations in 41 subjects (52.56%), followed by hearing loss in 23 subjects (29.5%). Amputations were more common in upper extremities (62%) than in lower extremities (38%). CONCLUSION: Landmines and UXOs comprise a significant safety hazard to the children living in the Western border of Iran decades after the Iraq-Iran War. The large number of injuries and lack of risk training among victims suggest that landmine cleanings and landmine-risk education should be age-specifically targeted and expanded substantially.