Abstract
Purpose
Diarrhoea and vomiting (D & V) was common in military personnel during deployment to the initial phases of the Iraq war. D & V is an established risk factor for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). This study examined the prevalence of IBS in a military sample with a history of deployment to Iraq and the association between D & V and common mental disorder (CMD) with IBS.
Methods
The study used data from a two-phase cohort study of military/personnel. The sample was restricted to individuals who had been deployed to Iraq before phase 1 of the study and who had completed the self-report D & V question. A measure of probable IBS was derived at both phases of the study based on self-reported symptoms in the previous month. CMD was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12).
Results
Fifty-nine percent of the sample reported a D & V event and 6.6 % met the criteria for probable IBS at phase 1. Reporting D & V, thinking one might be killed on deployment, poor physical health and CMD were associated with probable IBS at phase 1. CMD at phase 1 was strongly associated with chronic symptoms of IBS.
Conclusions
There was a high prevalence of D & V during deployment to the early stages of the Iraq war, yet the prevalence of probable IBS on return from deployment was relatively low. D & V was strongly associated with IBS after deployment, and CMD was a risk factor for chronic symptoms of IBS.
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Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD). The author’s work was independent of the funders and the paper was disclosed to the MoD at the point of submission. SW and MH are part funded by the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust/Institute of Psychiatry National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre. We acknowledge the help of Rajwinder Nijjar who contributed to an earlier draft of this manuscript.
Conflict of interest
All authors have completed the Unified Competing Interest form and declare that they received support from UK Ministry of Defence who funded this study. SW is Honorary Civilian Consultant Advisor in Psychiatry to the British Army and a Trustee of Combat Stress, a UK charity that provides services and support for veterans with mental health problems. NJ is a full time Reservist member of the UK Armed Forces and is currently seconded to King’s College London. NJ declares that he has not been instructed in any way by the UK Ministry of Defence regarding the submitted work.
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Goodwin, L., Bourke, J.H., Forbes, H. et al. Irritable bowel syndrome in the UK military after deployment to Iraq: what are the risk factors?. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 48, 1755–1765 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0699-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-013-0699-6