Morbidity burdens attributable to various illnesses and injuries in deployed (per Theater Medical Data Store [TMDS]) active and reserve component service members, U.S. Armed Forces, 2008-2014.

This report estimates illness and injury-related morbidity and the healthcare "burden" for service members during deployments to the CENTCOM and AFRICOM theaters of operation during 2008-2014. During the 7-year surveillance period, a total of 2,863,834 medical encounters occurred among 1,596,935 service members who were deployed. Four burden categories comprised 50% or more of the total healthcare burden among both male and female deployers: injury and poisoning, mental disorders, musculoskeletal diseases, and signs and symptoms. In both genders, injuries and poisonings, and signs and symptoms, were the top two categories that affected the most individuals. Both genders had the same top four hospitalization categories: injuries and poisonings, signs and symptoms, genitourinary diseases, and digestive diseases. The limitations of the data used in the analysis are discussed.