Evaluation of new respiratory symptoms in military personnel after service in Southwest Asia should focus on airway hyperreactivity from exposures to higher levels of ambient particulate matter. These patients may be difficult to diagnose and require close follow-up.
Respiratory symptoms were common among both asthmatics and nonasthmatics during deployment. Differences in symptoms and health care utilization in this group of asthmatics were primarily due to subjects with poor baseline control.
There is a need for targeted, practical medical surveillance for lung diseases and for a standardized diagnostic approach for all symptomatic deployed personnel.
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