Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR&D Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Agent Orange Exposure and Risk of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis among U.S. Veterans.

Kaul B, Lee JS, Glidden DV, Blanc PD, Zhang N, Collard HR, Whooley MA. Agent Orange Exposure and Risk of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis among U.S. Veterans. American journal of respiratory and critical care medicine. 2022 Sep 15; 206(6):750-757.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

There is limited literature exploring the relationship between military exposures and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). To evaluate whether exposure to Agent Orange is associated with an increased risk of IPF among veterans. We used Veterans Health Administration data to identify patients diagnosed with IPF between 2010 and 2019. We restricted the cohort to male Vietnam veterans and performed multivariate logistic regression to examine the association between presumptive Agent Orange exposure and IPF. We conducted sensitivity analyses restricting the cohort to army veterans (highest theoretical burden of exposure, surrogate for dose response) and a more specific case definition of IPF. Fine-Gray competing risk models were used to evaluate age to IPF diagnosis. Among 3.6 million male Vietnam veterans, 948,103 (26%) had presumptive Agent Orange exposure. IPF occurred in 2.2% of veterans with Agent Orange exposure versus 1.9% without exposure (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.16; < 0.001). The relationship persisted after adjusting for known IPF risk factors (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.10; < 0.001). The attributable risk among exposed veterans was 7% (95% CI, 5.3-8.7%; < 0.001). Numerically greater risk was observed when restricting the cohort to ) Vietnam veterans who served in the army and ) a more specific definition of IPF. After accounting for the competing risk of death, veterans with Agent Orange exposure were still more likely to develop IPF. Presumptive Agent Orange exposure is associated with greater risk of IPF. Future research should validate this association and investigate the biological mechanisms involved.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.