Associations between repeated deployments to OEF/OIF/OND, October 2001-December 2010, and post-deployment illnesses and injuries, active component, U.S. Armed Forces.

Since 2001, 1,347,731 U.S. military members have deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq; of these, approximately 40% deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq more than once. We assessed relationships between multiple deployments and diagnoses of diseases and injuries (as defined by 3-digit ICD-9-CM codes) among all male and female deployers within one year after returning from first through fifth deployments. For most illnesses and injuries, the proportions of deployers affected within one year post-deployment hardly varied in relation to the number of prior deployments. Back and joint disorders, sleep disorders, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, chronic sinusitis, and allergic rhinitis were "excessive" among repeat compared to first-time deployers. Some conditions may be caused or exacerbated by repeat wartime deployments. On the other hand, repeat deployments may select for the most inherently resilient service members and/or incrementally increase the resilience of repeat deployers. Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC). MSMR. 2011 Jul;18(7):2-11. PMID: 21815709 PDF