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Table 5 The association between deployment to the Gulf War and back 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

Doebbeling 2000

Symptoms past 12 months

37%

16%

2.25 (1.92–2.64)

23.0

Goss Gilroy 1998

Time period unclear

Age 20–44 yrs

20.2%

Age 45–64 yrs

25.6%

Age 20–44 yrs

15.3%

Age 45–64 yrs

19.9%

  

Proctor 2001

Symptoms past month

21.4%

21.7%

0.97 (0.43–2.18)

7.0

Kang 2000

Time period unclear

44%

30%

1.83 (1.73–1.94)

25.0

Knoke 2000

Current symptoms

50.9%

40.4%

1.53 (1.23–1.90)

21.4

Kelsall 2004

Symptoms past month

52%

49%

1.14 (0.99–1.32)

23.5

Summary OR (95% CI)

1.58 (1.23–2.04)

Heterogeneity χ 2 = 49.8, df = 4, 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.