Comparison of the functional health limitations of veterans deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan to veterans deployed to desert shield/storm with chronic fatigue syndrome

Lisa M. McAndrew, Helena K. Chandler, Jorge M. Serrador, Karen S. Quigley, Benjamin H. Natelson, Gudrun Lange

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

15 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

The majority of studies to examine the levels of physical symptoms after Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) deployment have found that veterans experience high levels of physical symptoms after deployment. What is not known is whether the physical symptoms experienced by OEF/OIF veterans meet criteria for chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), as was seen after Operation Desert Shield/Operation Desert Storm. This determination would require a medical evaluation to rule out medical conditions that may explain the symptoms. Further, it is not well known if the physical symptoms experienced by OEF/OIF veterans are causing significant functional impairment. We compared OEF/OIF veterans with CFS to Desert Shield/Storm veterans with CFS seen at a post deployment Veterans Affairs (VA) clinic soon after their respective deployments. We found 17.6% of OEF/OIF veterans met criteria for CFS. Compared to Desert Shield/Desert Storm veterans with CFS, the OEF/OIF veterans with CFS demonstrated poorer mental health function and similar physical health function.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)299-306
Number of pages8
JournalMilitary Behavioral Health
Volume4
Issue number3
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2016

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