Respiratory tract infections in a military recruit setting: a prospective cohort study.

Background: Acute respiratory tract infections (RTIs) are an important cause of morbidity in the military setting. Respiratory viruses are the most frequently implicated pathogens, especially adenovirus and respiratory syncytial virus. We performed this study to investigate the role of factors such as obesity, cigarette smoking, and educational level on the development of respiratory tract infections in a military recruit setting.

Methods: A cohort of 472 military recruits was prospectively followed up for the basic training period of 3 weeks. Symptoms of infections were monitored during this period.

Results: Eighty-four of 472 recruits (17.8%) were diagnosed with infection; 55 (65.5%) with upper RTI (mainly rhinitis), 23 (27.4%) with flu-like syndrome, and 6 (7.1%) with tonsillitis. There was no association between age, BMI, or smoking status and symptomatic RTI (p>0.05).

Conclusions: Occurrence of respiratory tract infections in military recruits is common, at least in some populations and settings. We did not find an association between risk factors such as BMI and smoking and symptomatic respiratory infection in our population, a result that may be associated with the limited power of this study.