Longitudinal changes in lung function following post-9/11 military deployment in symptomatic veterans.

Rationale: Exposure to burn pit smoke, desert and combat dust, and diesel exhaust during military deployment to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan (SWA) can cause deployment-related respiratory diseases (DRRDs) and may confer risk for worsening lung function after return.

Methods: Study subjects were SWA-deployed veterans who underwent occupational lung disease evaluation (n = 219). We assessed differences in lung function by deployment exposures and DRRD diagnoses.

First Annual PACT Act Research Symposium on Veterans Health: A Colorado PACT Act Collaboration (CoPAC) Initiative.

In response to the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act being signed into law, several research groups in Colorado organized the First Annual PACT Act Research Symposium for Veteran Health. The 2-day symposium was interested in research relevant to military exposures with a primary focus on respiratory and mental health. Information on the PACT Act, data sources in the Department of Veteran Affairs and DOD, and research opportunities at the Veteran Affairs were presented.

Findings on High Resolution Computed Tomography in Symptomatic Veterans with Deployment-Related Lung Disease.

Purpose: Military deployment to dusty, austere environments in Southwest Asia and Afghanistan is associated with symptomatic airways diseases including asthma and bronchiolitis. The utility of chest high-resolution computed tomographic (HRCT) imaging in lung disease diagnosis in this population is poorly understood. We investigated visual assessment of HRCT for identifying deployment-related lung disease compared with healthy controls.

Sarcoidosis and burn pit exposure in military deployers to Iraq, Afghanistan, and Southwest Asia.

Background And Aim: Inhalational exposures have been hypothesized to play a role in the pathogenesis of sarcoidosis. Herein, we describe a cohort of US Military personnel diagnosed with sarcoidosis during or after deployment to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan, who experienced complex inhalational exposures to burn-pits and desert dust.

Methods: Consecutive military personnel at four sub-specialty clinics across the United States were screened for deployment to Southwest Asia and Afghanistan and diagnosis of sarcoidosis based on 1999 ATS/ERS/WASOG Statement on Sarcoidosis.

Deployment-Related Respiratory Disease: Where Are We?

Military personnel and veterans who have deployed to Afghanistan, Iraq, and parts of Southwest Asia (SWA) since 1990 are at risk of developing a host of respiratory symptoms and deployment-related respiratory diseases (DRRDs). This review aims to summarize our current understanding of DRRD and inform pulmonary practitioners of recent updates to DRRD screening, diagnosis, evaluation, and management. The most common respiratory diseases in these patients include asthma, chronic sinonasal disease, laryngeal disease/dysfunction, and distal lung disease.