A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper reports on a systematic review of the literature on the post-conflict injury-related mortality of service members who deployed to conflict zones.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature databases, referenc...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2009-07-01
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| Series: | BMC Public Health |
| Online Access: | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/9/231 |
| _version_ | 1818037857646804992 |
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| author | Grier Tyson L Marin Roberto E Knapik Joseph J Jones Bruce H |
| author_facet | Grier Tyson L Marin Roberto E Knapik Joseph J Jones Bruce H |
| author_sort | Grier Tyson L |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper reports on a systematic review of the literature on the post-conflict injury-related mortality of service members who deployed to conflict zones.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature databases, reference lists of articles, agencies, investigators, and other sources were examined to find studies comparing injury-related mortality of military veterans who had served in conflict zones with that of contemporary veterans who had not served in conflict zones. Injury-related mortality was defined as a cause of death indicated by International Classification of Diseases E-codes E800 to E999 (external causes) or subgroupings within this range of codes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty studies met the review criteria; all involved veterans serving during either the Vietnam or Persian Gulf conflict. Meta-analysis indicated that, compared with non-conflict-zone veterans, injury-related mortality was elevated for veterans serving in Vietnam (summary mortality rate ratio (SMRR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.08–1.46) during 9 to 18 years of follow-up. Similarly, injury-related mortality was elevated for veterans serving in the Persian Gulf War (SMRR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.16–1.37) during 3 to 8 years of follow-up. Much of the excess mortality among conflict-zone veterans was associated with motor vehicle events. The excess mortality decreased over time. Hypotheses to account for the excess mortality in conflict-zone veterans included post-traumatic stress, coping behaviors such as substance abuse, ill-defined diseases and symptoms, lower survivability in injury events due to conflict-zone comorbidities, altered perceptions of risk, and/or selection processes leading to the deployment of individuals who were risk-takers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Further research on the etiology of the excess mortality in conflict-zone veterans is warranted to develop appropriate interventions.</p> |
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| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-fa00cdb9c96d45ba93b2ec636e110c6a |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:33:31Z |
| publishDate | 2009-07-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Public Health |
| spelling | doaj.art-fa00cdb9c96d45ba93b2ec636e110c6a2022-12-22T01:57:29ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582009-07-019123110.1186/1471-2458-9-231A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zonesGrier Tyson LMarin Roberto EKnapik Joseph JJones Bruce H<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This paper reports on a systematic review of the literature on the post-conflict injury-related mortality of service members who deployed to conflict zones.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Literature databases, reference lists of articles, agencies, investigators, and other sources were examined to find studies comparing injury-related mortality of military veterans who had served in conflict zones with that of contemporary veterans who had not served in conflict zones. Injury-related mortality was defined as a cause of death indicated by International Classification of Diseases E-codes E800 to E999 (external causes) or subgroupings within this range of codes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Twenty studies met the review criteria; all involved veterans serving during either the Vietnam or Persian Gulf conflict. Meta-analysis indicated that, compared with non-conflict-zone veterans, injury-related mortality was elevated for veterans serving in Vietnam (summary mortality rate ratio (SMRR) = 1.26, 95% confidence interval (95%CI) = 1.08–1.46) during 9 to 18 years of follow-up. Similarly, injury-related mortality was elevated for veterans serving in the Persian Gulf War (SMRR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.16–1.37) during 3 to 8 years of follow-up. Much of the excess mortality among conflict-zone veterans was associated with motor vehicle events. The excess mortality decreased over time. Hypotheses to account for the excess mortality in conflict-zone veterans included post-traumatic stress, coping behaviors such as substance abuse, ill-defined diseases and symptoms, lower survivability in injury events due to conflict-zone comorbidities, altered perceptions of risk, and/or selection processes leading to the deployment of individuals who were risk-takers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Further research on the etiology of the excess mortality in conflict-zone veterans is warranted to develop appropriate interventions.</p>http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/9/231 |
| spellingShingle | Grier Tyson L Marin Roberto E Knapik Joseph J Jones Bruce H A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones BMC Public Health |
| title | A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones |
| title_full | A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones |
| title_fullStr | A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones |
| title_full_unstemmed | A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones |
| title_short | A systematic review of post-deployment injury-related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones |
| title_sort | systematic review of post deployment injury related mortality among military personnel deployed to conflict zones |
| url | http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/9/231 |
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