Background: Previous deployments like that to the Persian Gulf in 1991 produced veterans with post-deployment symptom-based health problems with no medical explanation. This was termed Gulf War illness or medically unexplained illness (MUI). If previous wars are any indication, some soldiers currently deployed to hostile areas also will return home with unexplained symptom-based illnesses. However, when this study began there was virtually no pre-war, prospective data on risk and resilience factors associated with MUI. This study is attempting to fill that gap. Objectives: Our goals are to: (a) determine pre- and immediate post-deployment factors predicting later MUI and poor functional status, (b) improve previous methodological problems (e.g., selection bias, recall bias and lack of baseline controls) in studies of MUI, and (c) relate pre-deployment risk factors (e.g., personality, stressor reactivity) and resilience factors (e.g., coping style, social support) to post-deployment functional status.
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Non-Specific Physical Symptoms
Timeframe: pre-deployment (Phase 1), immediately post-deployment (Phase 2), 3 months post-return from deployment (Phase 3), 1 year post-return from deployment (Phase 4)
Physical Functional Status
Timeframe: pre-deployment (Phase 1), immediate post-deployment (Phase 2), 3 months post-return (Phase 3), 1 year post-return (Phase 4)
Mental Functional Status
Timeframe: pre-deployment, immediate post-deployment, 3 months post-return, 1 year post-return
Health Care Utilization
Timeframe: pre-deployment (Phase 1), immediate post-deployment (Phase 2), 3 months post-return (Phase 3), 1 year post-return (Phase 4)