摘要：We sought to analyze the self-reported hospitalization, emergency department visits, and outpatient visits of Persian Gulf War (deployed; n=1896) and Persian Gulf War–era (nondeployed; n=1799) military personnel 5 years postconflict to determine whether these groups had different rates of health care use. Compared with personnel who had not been deployed, personnel who had been deployed were more likely to have visited an emergency department (25% vs 21%; odds ratio [OR]=1.24; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.06, 1.51]). Among these groups, the National Guard and Reserve personnel were more likely to have been hospitalized than were the regular military personnel (OR= 1.65; 95% CI=1.21, 2.26). After deployment, many Persian Gulf War personnel reported a variety of symptoms, such as bodily pain, difficulty thinking, feeling depressed, and other complaints. 1 – 3 Theoretically, given their symptoms, these veterans should have higher health care use than non-deployed Persian Gulf War–era veterans. 4 , 5 Little evidence exists for increased hospitalization rates 6 , 7 or outpatient care among Persian Gulf War veterans, 8 , 9 but most studies have not accounted for systematic differences in health status and access to services in this population. It may be that military personnel who remain on active duty are healthier than those who separate. Furthermore, active duty personnel have TriCare health coverage, 10 whereas those who separate or are in the National Guard or Reserve rely on other arrangements, which may affect their rates of health care utilization. We compared emergency department visits, hospitalizations, and outpatient visits among Persian Gulf War veterans and Persian Gulf War–era (nondeployed) veterans 5 years postconflict.
