Preliminary Findings from the Gulf War Women's Cohort: Reproductive and Children's Health Outcomes among Women Veterans.

Reproductive outcomes, such as preterm birth, miscarriage/stillbirth, and pre-eclampsia, are understudied in veterans, particularly among Gulf War veterans (GWVs). During deployment, women GWVs were exposed to toxicant and nontoxicant exposures that may be associated with adverse reproductive and developmental outcomes. The data come from a survey of 239 participants from northeastern and southern U.S. cohorts of women veterans. The questionnaire collected information about the service history, current and past general health, reproductive and family health, demographic information, and deployment exposures. Odds ratios were computed with 95% confidence intervals between exposures in theater and reproductive/children's health outcomes. GWVs experienced adverse reproductive outcomes: 25% had difficulty conceiving, and 31% had a pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage or stillbirth. Pregnancy complications were common among GWVs: 23% had a high-risk pregnancy, and 16% were diagnosed with pre-eclampsia. About a third of GWVs reported their children (38%) had a developmental disorder. Use of pesticide cream during deployment was associated with higher odds of all reproductive and developmental outcomes. The results demonstrate that GWVs experienced reproductive and children's health outcomes at potentially high rates, and exploratory analyses suggest pesticide exposure as associated with higher odds of adverse reproductive outcomes. Future longitudinal studies of women veterans should prioritize examining reproductive and children's health outcomes.

Rates of Chronic Medical Conditions in 1991 Gulf War Veterans Compared to the General Population.

Prevalence of nine chronic medical conditions in the population-based Ft. Devens Cohort (FDC) of GW veterans were compared with the population-based 2013⁻2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) cohort. Excess prevalence was calculated as the difference in prevalence estimates from the Ft. Devens and NHANES cohorts; and confidence intervals and p-values are based on the standard errors for the two prevalence estimates. FDC males were at increased risk for reporting seven chronic medical conditions compared with NHANES males. FDC females were at decreased risk for high blood pressure and increased risk for diabetes when compared with NHANES females. FDC veterans reporting war-related chemical weapons exposure showed higher risk of high blood pressure; diabetes; arthritis and chronic bronchitis while those reporting taking anti-nerve gas pills had increased risk of heart attack and diabetes. GW veterans are at higher risk of chronic conditions than the general population and these risks are associated with self-reported toxicant exposures.