Skin disease in Gulf war veterans

Background: Gulf war veterans report more symptomatic ill‐health than other military controls, and skin disease is one of the most frequent reasons for military personnel to seek medical care. Aim: To compare the nature and prevalence of skin disease in UK Gulf veterans with non‐Gulf veterans, and to assess whether skin disease is associated with disability. Design: Prospective case comparison study. Methods: Disabled (n=111) and non‐disabled (n=98) Gulf veterans and disabled non‐Gulf veterans (n=133) were randomly selected from representative cohorts of those who served in the Gulf conflict 1990–1991, UN Bosnia Peacekeeping Force 1992–1997, or veterans in active service between 1990–91, but not deployed to the Gulf. Disability was defined as reduced physical functioning as measured by the Short Form 36 [score