Mortality among Vietnam Veterans: With Methodological Considerations

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Abstract
The Department of Veterans Affairs previously conducted a proportionate mortality study of Army and Marine Vietnamera veterans who died during 1965 through 1988. In the present study, 11,385 veterans who died during 1988 through 1984 and 50,743 veterans from the previous analysis made up the final sample of 68,068 veterans. When compared with all non-Vietnam veterans, Army Vietnam veterans had statistically significant excesses of deaths from external causes (proportionate mortality ratio [PMR] = 1.03), laryngeal cancer (PMR = 1.53), and lung cancer (PMR = 1.08). Marine Vietnam veterans had a significantly elevated PMR for external causes (PMR=1.06) with a significant excess of homicide deaths (PMR = 1.16) when compared to all non-Vietnam veterans. The elevated PMRs for lung cancer and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma among Marine Vietnam veterans reported in the earlier VA study persisted when compared with Marine non-Vietnam veterans. However, it was found that these elevations probably were due to a deficit among the Marine non-Vietnam veterans rather than an excess among Marine Vietnam veterans.

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