ABSTRACT
The safety of mefloquine has not been well described in military populations. This study used standard military databases for mefloquine prescriptions and hospitalizations to investigate mefloquine safety among US service members from 2002 through 2004. Mefloquine-prescribed and deployed personnel (N = 8,858) were compared with two reference groups. The reference groups comprised US service members who were not prescribed mefloquine and resided in Europe or Japan (N = 156,203) or had been otherwise deployed (N = 232,381). In comparison with active-duty US service members residing in Europe or Japan, mefloquine-prescribed service members were at statistically significant decreased hazard for any-cause hospitalization, as well as diseases of the respiratory and digestive systems, musculoskeletal system and connective tissue diseases, injuries and poisonings, ill-defined conditions, and mood disorders. These results suggest there is no association between mefloquine prescriptions and severe health effects, as measured by hospitalizations, across a wide range of outcomes.
Subject(s)
Antimalarials/adverse effects , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Malaria/prevention & control , Mefloquine/adverse effects , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Military Personnel , Adult , Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems , Cohort Studies , Europe , Female , Hospitals, Military , Humans , Japan , Male , Mental Disorders/chemically induced , Mental Disorders/pathology , Proportional Hazards Models , Severity of Illness Index , Travel , United States/epidemiologyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The proportion of women in the U.S. military is increasing, and they are being selected into jobs that are more combat related. However, the mental health effects of working in combat support occupations among military women have not been previously evaluated. METHODS: Active-duty enlisted Navy and Marine Corps women in combat support (n = 10,299) and noncombat support (n = 63,478) occupations were followed for 2 years between January 1, 1994, and August 31, 2001. Hospitalization diagnoses were examined and organized into eight categories of mental disorders; Cox proportional hazards modeling was used to describe these outcomes. RESULTS: Women in combat support occupations were found to be significantly less likely to be hospitalized for a mental disorder than women in all other military occupations. CONCLUSIONS: These results are reassuring but may be confounded by a healthy worker selection effect. Further studies are needed to assess how service in combat support occupations affects the long-term health of U.S. military women.
