American military veterans deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan had a 55% higher risk of asthma compared with non-deployed peers.


RT’s Three Key Takeaways:

  1. Deployment and Respiratory Risk: A large VA study of over 48,000 Veterans found that those deployed in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom faced significantly higher rates of chronic respiratory diseases than non-deployed peers.
  2. Increased Disease Incidence: Deployed Veterans had a 55% higher risk of asthma, 41% higher risk of chronic rhinitis, 27% higher risk of chronic rhinosinusitis, and 48% higher risk of nasal polyposis linked to burn pit and dust exposure.
  3. Call for Ongoing Surveillance: Researchers emphasize the need for long-term monitoring, preventive measures, and specialized respiratory care for Veterans to address deployment-related lung and airway disease.


US Veterans who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) face an increased risk of developing several chronic respiratory conditions, according to new research presented at the ACAAI 2025.

The large-scale study examined more than 48,000 deployed Veterans compared with a matched group of non-deployed Veterans. Researchers found that deployment was significantly associated with new diagnoses of asthma, chronic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), and nasal polyposis (NP) in the decade following service.

“Veterans deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan were often exposed to airborne hazards such as burn pits and dust storms,” said allergist Patrick Gleeson, MD, lead author of the study and ACAAI member. “We found that these exposures may have long-term health impacts, particularly for respiratory diseases that can affect quality of life for years after service.”

Key findings included:

  • Asthma: Deployed Veterans had a 55% higher risk compared with non-deployed peers.
  • Chronic Rhinitis: Deployment was linked to a 41% higher risk.
  • Chronic Rhinosinusitis (CRS): Risk increased by 27%.
  • Nasal Polyposis (NP): Risk increased by 48%.

The analysis used data from the Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse and included only Veterans with no prior history of the studied conditions. Each deployed veteran was matched with a non-deployed veteran of similar age, sex, race, and ethnicity.

The median age at deployment was 26.7 years, and the majority of veterans in the study were male (84%) and White (75%).

“These results highlight the importance of long-term health surveillance and specialized care for Veterans who served in OIF and OEF,” said Dr. Gleeson. “Recognizing the link between deployment and respiratory disease can help guide medical support, policy, and preventive strategies for those affected.”


ASSOCIATIONS OF DEPLOYMENT TO IRAQ OR AFGHANISTAN WITH NEW-ONSET ASTHMA AND UPPER RESPIRATORY DISEASES 

Gleeson*1, K. Morales1, E. Garshick2, L. Ashcraft1, N. Cohen1, M. Connolly1, O. Fadugba1, P. Groeneveld1, 1. Philadelphia, PA; 2. Boston, MA.

Introduction: Exposure to airborne hazards during Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF) and Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) may have conferred an increased risk of respiratory diseases.

Methods: We used national Veterans Affairs Corporate Data Warehouse and Observational Medical Outcomes Partnership data to identify Veterans with a single OIF or OEF deployment, ≥ 1 outpatient encounters prior to deployment, and no International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10 codes for asthma, chronic rhinitis, chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS), or nasal polyposis (NP) prior to deployment. Each was 1:1 matched with a non-deployed Veteran on birth year, sex, race, and ethnicity who had ≥ 1 outpatient encounters prior to their match’s deployment and no prior diagnoses of the same diseases. We used four Cox proportional hazards models to evaluate associations of deployment with outpatient diagnoses or problem list entries for each of asthma, chronic rhinitis, CRS, or NP in the 10 years post-deployment.

Results: Among 104,628 deployed Veterans, 48,800 (46.7%) were matched. The median age at deployment was 26.7 years (interquartile range 22.2-37.4). 84% were male, 75% were White, and 11% were Hispanic or Latino. According to the Cox models, deployment was associated with higher hazard ratios (HRs) for asthma (HR=1.55 vs. non-deployed, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.47-1.62, p<0.0005), chronic rhinitis (HR=1.41, 95% CI 1.37-1.45, p<0.0005), CRS (HR=1.27, 95% CI 1.21-1.34, p<0.0005), and NP (HR=1.48, 95% CI 1.25-1.76, p<0.0005).

Conclusion: Deployment was associated with higher HRs for new-onset asthma, chronic rhinitis, CRS, and NP. These findings support the need for long-term surveillance and care of respiratory diseases for OIF and OEF Veterans.