Military medicine
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Polyuria with marked plasma sodium disturbance was present in 39 of 224 patients with isolated craniocerebral war injuries. Twenty-one of these 39 patients had hyponatremia (sodium level < 130 mmol/l) and polyuria. ⋯ The remaining 18 patients developed classic diabetes insipidus syndrome, and 6 of them (33%) died of hypernatremia within 30 days after trauma. The mortality in both patients with hyponatremia and patients with diabetes insipidus was higher in those with greater disturbances of plasma sodium concentration with polyuria and those with lower Glasgow Coma Scale scores.
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Three hundred thirty-nine freshmen participating in cadet basic training at the U. S. Military Academy completed a questionnaire that asked them about their previous military experience, gender, ethnicity, injuries and illness experienced in the last 12 months, foot type, cigarette smoking habits, smokeless tobacco use, alcohol consumption, and sleep habits. ⋯ Their feet were examined for blisters before and after the march. Univariate analysis showed that risk factors for foot blisters included ethnicity (blacks at lower risk than others), a sickness in the last 12 months, no previous active duty military experience, use of smokeless tobacco, and flat feet (pes planus). Logistic regression indicated that all of these were independent blister risk factors with the exception of no previous active duty military experience.
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This prospective descriptive study presents the morbidity among 2,283 Dutch marines in northwest Cambodia from 1992 and 1993. In a field database, we recorded 4,036 consultations from 1,356 persons (59.4%) leading to 3,562 diagnoses and 392 different International Classification of Diseases codes. Most diagnoses were for tropical disorders (24.8%), musculoskeletal disorders and injuries (23.9%), and dermatological disorders (22.7%). ⋯ Risk factors for lost working days were being in battalion 1, of younger age, and in lower ranks. Most lost working days occurred during the second month of each deployment. Despite many consultations, the overall morbidity and consequent lost working days remained low.
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Safety is a principal concern for everyone in aviation, including those in military and civilian aeromedical programs. The U.S. Army flies thousands of helicopter missions each year, including many aeromedical flights. The comparison between Army general and aeromedical aviation crash data provides a benchmark for establishing patterns in aeromedical safety and may be useful for similar programs examining safety profiles. ⋯ There is a very low overall incidence of crashes in both groups. There may be no practical difference between Army general and aeromedical aviation mishap rates. Furthermore, Army crash rates are comparable with published civilian mishap rates.
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To report the distributions and characteristics of spouse abuse victims and offenders in the U.S. Army Central Registry from 1989 to 1997. ⋯ U.S. military populations provide unique opportunities to study family violence because of the socioeconomic "floor" under service members and their families. Comparisons between military and civil populations on precipitating circumstances, case assessment and definition, and treatment efficacy would be fruitful areas for research.