Katherine S Kotas, Shauna L Stahlman, Saixia Ying, David H Yun, Charles E McCannon, John F Ambrose
{"title":"Syphilis cases among pregnant women and newborns in the Military Health System, 2012-2022.","authors":"Katherine S Kotas, Shauna L Stahlman, Saixia Ying, David H Yun, Charles E McCannon, John F Ambrose","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This report presents the rates of maternal syphilis among pregnant women and congenital syphilis among newborns in the Military Health System (MHS) beneficiary population from 2012 to 2022. Medical encounter data from military hospitals and clinics as well as civilian health care facilities were obtained from the Defense Medical Surveillance System (DMSS) to determine pregnancies, live births, and confirmed diagnoses of maternal and congenital syphilis. The rate of maternal syphilis in female MHS beneficiaries increased by 233% between 2012 (n=123, 66.0 per 100,000 births) and 2022 (n=169, 219.8 per 100,000 births), while the rate of congenital syphilis in newborn MHS beneficiaries increased by 355% (n=9 to n=32, 6.8 to 30.8 per 100,000 live births). Pregnant active component service members generally evinced higher rates of maternal syphilis than pregnant non-service member MHS beneficiaries during the reporting period. Additionally, the positive predictive value of maternal syphilis cases in the MHS was found to be low (59%). Future studies could focus on potential misclassification of maternal syphilis cases as well as syphilis screening compliance and treatment during pregnancy for all pregnant MHS beneficiaries. The rate of diagnosed maternal syphilis among pregnant female active component service members exceeded previously reported rates of syphilis among all female active component service members annually between 2015 and 2022, likely due to increased screening.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 12","pages":"12-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11741559/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142907702","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Kayli Hiban, Sithembile L Mabila, Jessica H Murray, Alexis A McQuistan, Natalie Y Wells
{"title":"Post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 and kidney events in U.S. active component service members, March 1, 2020-September 30, 2022.","authors":"Kayli Hiban, Sithembile L Mabila, Jessica H Murray, Alexis A McQuistan, Natalie Y Wells","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Early evidence suggests that COVID-19 is linked to kidney-related events in older and hospitalized patients. This link has not, however, been explored among a younger, healthy population such as U.S. active component service members (ACSMs). This retrospective cohort study assessed the incidence of post-acute sequelae of SARS-CoV-2 (PASC) and kidney events between March 1, 2020 and September 30, 2022 in ACSMs with no prior history of kidney events. Among the study population (n=831,780), 1,975 (0.2%) kidney events were reported between 31 days and 6 months after COVID-19 test dates. The incidence rate of any kidney event was slightly higher among ACSMs who tested negative for COVID-19 (10.6 per 10,000 person-years) compared to ACSMs who tested positive (9.8 per 10,000 person-years). In adjusted models of incidence rate ratios (IRRs), older ACSMs evinced significantly higher rates of kidney events compared to younger ACSMs, and COVID-19 vaccination had a protective effect; this was true in both the COVID-19-positive and -negative groups, although the IRR magnitude was stronger in the COVID-19-positive group. PASC did not lead to an increased incidence of kidney events compared to the COVID-19-negative group among ACSMs, an overall young and healthy population. PASC-related kidney events were rare among a young, healthy population of ACSMs without prior history of kidney events. The incidence of kidney events among ACSMs was not higher in the COVID-positive group compared to the group that tested negative for COVID.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 12","pages":"17-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11741558/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142907758","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Diagnoses of mental health disorders among active component U.S. Armed Forces, 2019-2023.","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Mental health disorders have historically accounted for significant morbidity, health care provision, disability, and attrition from military service. From 2019 through 2023, a total of 541,672 active component service members of the U.S. Armed Forces were diagnosed with at least 1 mental health disorder. Crude annual incidence rates of at least 1 mental health disorder decreased from 2019 to 2020, but then increased continually from 2021 until 2023. Most incident mental health disorder diagnoses during the study period were attributable to adjustment disorders, anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, 'other' mental health disorders, and alcohol-related disorders. Efforts to assist and treat service members should continue to promote help-seeking behavior to improve their psychological and emotional well-being and reduce the burden of mental health disorders, especially as rates have been increasing since the COVID-19 pandemic. Annual incidence rates for service members diagnosed with at least 1 mental health disorder increased from 2021 through 2023, coincident with the COVID-19 pandemic. Incidence rates for anxiety disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder increased substantially from 2019 to 2023, nearly doubling during that period.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 12","pages":"2-11"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-12-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11741561/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142907660","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Alexis L Maule, Katherine S Kotas, Kiara D Scatliffe-Carrion, John F Ambrose
{"title":"Cold weather injuries among the active and reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces, July 2019-June 2024.","authors":"Alexis L Maule, Katherine S Kotas, Kiara D Scatliffe-Carrion, John F Ambrose","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Over the 5-year surveillance period, from July 2019 through June 2024, the crude incidence rate of any cold weather injury was 31.1 per 100,000 person-years (p-yrs) for the active component and 6.4 per 100,000 persons for the reserve component of the U.S. Armed Forces. From July 2023 through June 2024, a total of 456 members of the active (n=403) and reserve (n=53) components of the U.S. Armed Forces had at least 1 cold weather injury. During the 2023-2024 cold season, the rates of any cold weather injury increased slightly for the active (31.1 per 100,000 p-yrs) and reserve (6.4 per 100,000 persons) components compared to the previous cold season. The rate of any cold weather injury varied among the services for the 2023-2024 cold season, with higher rates observed in the Army and the Marine Corps. Over the entire surveillance period, active component service member cold weather injury rates were higher among males, non-Hispanic Black or African Americans, and those under 20 years old.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 11","pages":"2-13"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11661820/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142773191","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Sithembile L Mabila, Jessica H Murray, Shauna L Stahlman, Edward A Sheriff, Alexis A McQuistan
{"title":"Surveillance snapshot: incidence of dog bites among military working dog handlers, 2012-2023.","authors":"Sithembile L Mabila, Jessica H Murray, Shauna L Stahlman, Edward A Sheriff, Alexis A McQuistan","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 11","pages":"21-22"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142773124","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Matthew J Hogan, Ellie M Prinster, Bridget K Caulkins, Nathan J Deming, Bryant J Webber
{"title":"Surveillance snapshot: percent of male and female cadets with radiographically-confirmed bone stress injuries during basic cadet training, U.S. Air Force Academy, 2022-2024.","authors":"Matthew J Hogan, Ellie M Prinster, Bridget K Caulkins, Nathan J Deming, Bryant J Webber","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 11","pages":"20"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142773128","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Valentina Donici, Shauna L Stahlman, Michael T Fan, Richard S Langton
{"title":"Trends of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease in active component female service members, 2014-2023.","authors":"Valentina Donici, Shauna L Stahlman, Michael T Fan, Richard S Langton","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study summarizes trends from 2014 through 2023 in the incidence of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular heart disease among U.S. active component female service members and identifies potential military-specific risk factors for these conditions. Female-specific risk factors, such as mental health, for ischemic heart and cerebrovascular diseases have only recently been recognized. Crude incidence rates were assessed for each outcome and Poisson regression was used to calculate adjusted incidence rates, controlling for multiple covariates. After adjustment, non-Hispanic Black active component U.S. service women had higher rates for both ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease compared to non-Hispanic White service women (IRR=1.68 and 1.24, respectively). A prior diagnosis of depressive or anxiety disorder resulted in a 90% increased rate of ischemic heart disease and 70% increased rate of cerebrovascular disease. Air Force members had a 55% increased rate of ischemic heart disease. This study identifies both military-specific and demographic risk factors for these 2 cardiovascular diseases and demonstrates potential opportunity for early age preventive care, even among a relatively young and healthy population. Among active component U.S. service women, incidence of ischemic heart disease increased between 2014 (31.2 per 100,000 person-years) and 2019 (54.7 per 100,000 p-yrs), while incidence of cerebrovascular disease decreased during that period and increased between 2019 (28.5 per 100,000 p-yrs) and 2023 (46.4 per 100,000 p-yrs). Older age, non-Hispanic Black race and ethnicity, and prior depressive or anxiety disorder diagnosis were identified as potential risk factors for both outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 11","pages":"14-19"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-11-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11661819/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142773287","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Devin C Kelly, Susan J Ching, Theresa Casey, Angela Osuna, Ga On Jung, Erin L Winkler, David R Sayers
{"title":"Prevalence of hepatitis A and B antibodies among enlisted accessions, Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, 2023.","authors":"Devin C Kelly, Susan J Ching, Theresa Casey, Angela Osuna, Ga On Jung, Erin L Winkler, David R Sayers","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Department of the Air Force performs universal antibody serology testing for hepatitis B surface antibody (anti-HBs) and hepatitis A immunoglobulin G (IgG anti-HAV) among enlisted recruits presenting to basic military training (BMT) at Joint Base San Antonio (JBSA)-Lackland. These results, along with previous vaccination records, if available at the time of accession, guide HBV and HAV vaccination during BMT. Data from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, in the electronic health record, MHS-GENESIS, was used for this analysis. This analysis shows a much higher prevalence of HAV antibodies compared to HBV in the trainee population at JBSA-Lackland during 2023.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 10","pages":"17-18"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142523290","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
James D Mancuso, Jason Blaylock, Scott Robinson, Brian Agan
{"title":"Guest editorial: health policy analysis on improving HIV PrEP implementation to help end the HIV epidemic in the U.S. military.","authors":"James D Mancuso, Jason Blaylock, Scott Robinson, Brian Agan","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Use of HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among U.S. military service members at high risk for HIV infection remains suboptimal, resulting in preventable new HIV infections and decreased medical readiness among service members. PrEP coverage should be increased to the greatest extent possible to prevent HIV infection and support the Military Health System (MHS) quadruple aim. This policy analysis employed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)'s Policy Analytical Framework to develop several policy options based upon the evidence summary and interventions described. Evaluation criteria based on the CDC's Policy Analytical Framework incorporated all elements of the Military Health System (MHS)'s quadruple aim, including impact on population health and readiness, impact on the experience of care, and value in terms of cost-effectiveness. An additional criterion of feasibility was also added to account for cultural, societal, and political factors influencing this policy decision. This policy analysis suggests that HIV PrEP coverage in the MHS remains suboptimal, while several available interventions could result in substantial increases in PrEP coverage that would, in turn, result in further reductions in new service member HIV infections and increased medical readiness.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 10","pages":"11-16"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142523289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Routine screening for antibodies to human immunodeficiency virus in the U.S. Armed Forces, active and reserve components, January 2019-June 2024.","authors":"","doi":"","DOIUrl":"","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Summaries of HIV seropositivity for members of the U.S. military have been published with MSMR since 1995. The current report summarizes numbers and trends of newly identified HIV-antibody seropositivity from January 1, 2019 through June 30, 2024 among military members of 5 services under the active and reserve components of the U.S. Armed Forces, in addition to the Army and Air Force National Guard. From January 2023 through June 2024, approximately 1.8 million service members (active component, Guard, and reserve) were tested for antibodies to HIV, and 403 (0.22 per 1,000 tested) were identified as HIV-antibody positive. Of the 403 new HIV infections that were identified during this period, only 10 (2.5%) were among female service members. The HIV-antibody seropositivity rates first reported in MSMR 3 decades ago remain comparable to rates presented in 2023, under scoring a continued value of HIV testing programs. The cost-effectiveness of HIV testing strategies, differentiated by universal or indications-based testing following military accession, may be instructive to further understand the value of current screening efforts in different clinical settings.</p>","PeriodicalId":38856,"journal":{"name":"MSMR","volume":"31 10","pages":"2-10"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-10-20","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11578803/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142523291","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}