Because this study was a population based epidemiological study, the types and frequency of self reported health problems are probably similar in other populations of military personnel deployed to the Gulf. More objective clinical measurement of these specific and psychiatric conditions should be addressed in future studies to determine what type of underlying illnesses, medical conditions, or other concerns might be related to these self reported conditions.
These studies are one of the first population-based epidemiological studies to document that Persian Gulf veterans are reporting more medical and psychiatric conditions than their military peers who were not deployed to the Persian Gulf. These conditions identified in the study appear to have had measurable impact on the functional activity and daily lives of the Persian Gulf veterans.
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