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Table 3 The association between deployment to the Gulf War and joint pain amongst veterans

From: Pain in veterans of the Gulf War of 1991: a systematic review

Study

Period of prevalence estimate

Prevalence GWV

Prevalence NGV

OR (95% CI)

% weight in meta-analysis

Sostek 1996

Current symptoms

74%

30%

6.68 (2.78–16.1)

3.5

Doebbeling 2000

Symptoms past 12 months

37%

16%

3.08 (2.64–3.61)

11.2

Fukuda 1998

Current symptoms

Symptoms for 6 months

36%

18%

13%

6%

3.77 (3.19–4.45)

11.1

Proctor 1998

Symptoms past month

FD 33%

NO 32%

16%

2.41 (1.08–5.39)

4.0

Ishoy 1999

No numerical data

    

Unwin 1999

Symptoms past month

32.2%

Bosnia 13.8%

Era 14.4%

2.82 (2.46–3.23)

11.4

Unwin 2002

Symptoms past month

27.8%

Bosnia 12.7%

Era 10.8%

3.16 (1.85–5.40)

6.4

Kang 2000

Time period unclear

45%

27%

2.21 (2.09–2.34)

11.9

Knoke 2000

Current symptoms

14.1%

4.7%

3.33 (2.25–4.92)

8.2

Steele 2000

Symptoms past 12 months

37%

15%

3.35 (2.50–4.49)

9.5

Gray 2002

Symptoms past 12 months

37.9%

DEV 16.8%

NDV 13.6%

3.02 (2.74–3.33)

11.6

Kelsall 2004

Symptoms past month

35%

29%

1.30 (1.12–1.52)

11.2

Summary OR (95% CI)

2.81 (2.31–3.42)

Heterogeneity χ 2 = 144.7, df = 10, P < 0.001

  1. GWV – Gulf War veterans; NGV – non-Gulf veterans.
  2. OR – odds ratio. Individual study ORs based on published prevalence data and not adjusted for confounders.
  3. Summary OR – weighted average of all individual study ORs, derived from "metan" command in Stata version 9.0 using a random effect model and DerSimonian and Laird method.
  4. Fukuda 1998: data on current symptoms used in meta-analysis.
  5. Proctor 1998: FD – Fort Devens sample, NO – New Orleans sample; combined prevalence in FD and NO vs NGV compared in meta-analysis
  6. Unwin 1999/2002: GWV vs Era controls compared in meta-analysis.
  7. Gray 2002: DEV – deployed elsewhere veterans, NDV – non-deployed veterans; GWV vs DEV compared in meta-analysis.