VA urged to form registry of roadside bomb victims

[unhappycamper]

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/02/va-urged-form-registry-roadside-bomb-victims

VA urged to form registry of roadside bomb victims
By Kevin Freking
The Associated Press
© February 14, 2014

WASHINGTON

Roadside bombs have killed nearly 3,600 military service members and wounded 34,000 more in Iraq and Afghanistan, but many of the long-term health effects are unknown for those who seemingly walked away without serious injury.

For that reason, the Institute of Medicine is calling on the Department of Veterans Affairs to create a registry of service members exposed to such bombs so the long-term consequences can be better tracked.

Medical researchers often establish disease registries to help monitor health trends in participants. For example, the VA has one for those exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam and one for those who served during the first Gulf War. The registries serve as a giant database that researchers can review for signs of problems.

The institute panel reviewed hundreds of research papers to evaluate when service members are at increased risk of health problems because of a bomb blast. The committee concluded that there was sufficient evidence to show that the blasts contributed to the development of post-traumatic stress disorder and symptoms following a concussion, such as persistent headaches.