Common Disabilities Faced by Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans

EXPOSURES

THE VA REPORTS THAT VETERANS OF THE AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ WARS COULD HAVE DEVELOPED LONG-TERM HEALTH PROBLEMS DUE TO EXPOSURE TO THE FOLLOWING WHILE DEPLOYED:

• 
  DEPLETED URANIUM

  DAMAGED KIDNEY FUNCTION

• 
  Toxic embedded fragments

  lingering toxins enter bloodstream and affect entire body

• 
  Noise

  Permanent hearing loss or tinnitus

• 
  Infectious diseases

  including malaria, west Nile virus, brucellosis, campylobacter jejunim, coxiella burnetii (q fever), mycobacterium tuberculosis, nontyphoidal salmoneela, shigella, visceral leishmaniasis, rabies

• 
  Burn Pits

  Respiratory, cardiovascular, gastointestinal issues

• 
  Occupational hazards

  skin, nose, and eye irritations, respiratory diseases, poisoning, death

• 
  Traumatic Brain Injuries

  anxiety, depression, headaches, memory loss, impaired function, dementia, and other symptoms

• 
  Chromium

  nose problems including ulcers, holes in the nasal septum, and asthma

• 
  Sand, dust, and particulates

  severe respiratory problems

• 
  Chemical warfare agents

  lung and respiratory damage, breathing problems, seizures, coma, death

• 
  sulfur fire

  burned skin, fluid in lungs, airway obstruction

DISABILITIES

VETERANS CAN APPLY FOR DISABILITY SERVICES FOR THE FOLLOWING PROBLEMS:

1. MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES

   PTSD, DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, BIPOLAR DISORDER, SCHIZOPHRENIA, PSYCHOSIS

2. GULF WAR SYNDROME

   CHRONIC FATIGUE SYNDROME, FIBROMYALGIA, FUNCTIONAL GASTROINTESTINAL DISORDERS

3. Orthopedic injuries

   injuries to the neck, spine, back, hips, and knees

4. Amputation
5. Ischemic heart disease

OTHER ISSUES VETERANS FACE:

• 

  of people in America will go through a traumatic event that could cause PTSD.

• 

  of people who experience trauma will develop PTSD at some point in their lives.

• 

  of children will witness a traumatic event.

• 

  are twice as likely as men to develop PTSD.

• 

  of people who experience trauma will develop PTSD at some point in their lives.

• 

  of veterans may suffer from PTSD.

• 

  of people in the U.S. have PTSD in any given year.

• 

  of people in the U.S. have PTSD in any given year.