Abstract Details

Title Associations Between Open Burn Pit Exposure and Neurological Disorders in Veterans

Topic General Neurology

Presentation(s) S32 - General Neurology 1 (3:42 PM-3:54 PM)

Poster/Presentation
Number 002

Objective To examine associations between open burn pit exposure and neurological disorders among U.S. veterans.

Background Open burn pit exposure has emerged as a significant environmental hazard among military service members. Prior work has established a dose-dependent association between incident headache and open burn pit exposure. Yet, the relationship between open burn pit exposure and other neurological disorders has not been thoroughly examined.

Design/Methods This retrospective cohort study linked the Airborne Hazards and Open Burn Pit Registry with the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) electronic health records (EHR) to evaluate potential exposure to open burn pits from April 1, 2014, through October 31, 2022. Veterans with preexisting neurological disorders were excluded. Neurological outcomes were obtained from ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes from the EHR. Separate multivariable logistic regression models were used to determine the association between open burn pit status and neurological disorders, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, branch of service, and TBI history. Analyses were exploratory and adjustments for multiple testing were not performed.

Results Among 245,124 veterans, 138,214 reported being near an open burn pit and had burn pit-related duties, and had at least one neurological disorder (70.1%), including headache, epilepsy, movement disorders, stroke, neuroinflammatory disorders, neuromuscular disorders, dementia, and vertigo. Most of the sample was under 30 years old (M=27.8, SD= 7.7), male (90.0%), and White non-Hispanic (60.4%). In multivariable analyses, participants who were near an open burn pit with burn pit duties had higher odds of any neurological disorder (OR, 1.37; 95% CI: 1.25-1.49), any headache disorder (OR, 1.58; 95% CI: 1.45-1.73), and other vertigo (OR, 1.26; 95% CI: 1.14-1.41).

Conclusions Open burn pit exposure increases the odds of developing common and disabling neurological disorders among veterans. Focused research and continued surveillance on the long-term neurological impact of deployment-related exposures are necessary.

Authors/Disclosures
Sarah Anthony, Other (Headache Center of Excellence) PRESENTER	Ms. Anthony has nothing to disclose.
Manali A. Phadke, MS	Miss Phadke has nothing to disclose.
Elinor Laffargue, MPH	Miss Laffargue has nothing to disclose.
daniel rogers, PhD	Dr. rogers has nothing to disclose.
Melissa Skanderson (Veterans Health Administration)	No disclosure on file
Jason J. Sico, MD, FAAN	Dr. Sico has nothing to disclose.
John Ney, MD, MPH, FAAN (VA Connecticut)	Dr. Ney has received personal compensation in the range of $10,000-$49,999 for serving as a Consultant for Ceribell. Dr. Ney has received personal compensation in the range of $500-$4,999 for serving as an Editor, Associate Editor, or Editorial Advisory Board Member for Neurology Clinical Practice.

��ɫ��

��ɫ��