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Deployment length and its correlation with spirometric variables in deployed veterans (882.1)
Author(s) -
Chen Yang,
Klein Jacquelyn,
Ndirangu Duncan,
Smith Webb,
Falvo Michael
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.28.1_supplement.882.1
Subject(s) - vital capacity , software deployment , lung function , medicine , military deployment , military personnel , demography , political science , lung , computer science , diffusing capacity , sociology , law , operating system
Military personnel deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan are likely to have been exposed to high levels of air pollution during their deployment and frequently report respiratory symptoms post‐deployment. The goal of this study was to determine whether deployment length is associated with lung function. We recruited 36 veterans (40±9.9 yrs) deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan to participate in this study. Veterans completed deployment history questionnaires and performed forced expiratory maneuvers in accordance with ATS/ERS task force guidelines. Spirograms were analyzed for the following variables: forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), forced vital capacity (FVC), the ratio of FEV1/FVC, the ratio of FEV3/FVC and midexpiratory flow (FEF25‐75). Percent predicted (%pred) values were then calculated based on NHANES III reference equations. We found deployment length was significantly correlated to FEV1%pred (r=‐0.39, p=0.018), FEV1/FVC%pred (r=‐0.38, p=0.021), FEV3/FVC%pred (r=‐0.439, p=0.009), FEF25‐75%pred (r=‐0.377, p=0.023), but not FVC (r=‐0.03, p=0.863). In this preliminary evaluation, we observed an inverse relationship between deployment length and several spirometric variables. Future studies in larger cohorts are necessary to confirm these findings and better understand the relationship between deployment‐related exposures and lung function. Work supported by VA Grants. Grant Funding Source : VA Grants 1I21RX001079‐01 and 1I21CX000797‐01