Baker Michael S
Department of Surgery, John Muir Hospital, Walnut Creek, CA 94598.
Mil Med. 2014 Apr;179(4):348-55. doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-13-00471.
This article is a primer to understand the medical advances and the future health care consequences of the current conflicts in the Middle East and Southwest Asia, known as the Global War on Terror. There have been significant advances in health care learned in caring for those injured by the conflict--often a polytrauma blast victim, but there are also very high incidence rates of the hidden injuries of war--traumatic brain injury, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide, and depression. These lead to disruptive behaviors, homelessness, and family violence. Global War on Terror returnees are using medical services and applying for disability at higher rates than in previous conflicts. The costs for veterans' care may peak 30 to 40 years or longer following the conflict, and will inflict an enormous burden on services and resources. The effects of the war will linger for years and impact across generations because of the stress on families and children. We must mobilize government agencies, create public-private partnerships, and invest our resources now to mitigate the approaching tsunami of veterans' health care needs, the impact on our social services, and the devastating costs to society.
本文是一篇入门文章，旨在帮助读者了解中东和西南亚当前冲突（即所谓的全球反恐战争）所带来的医学进步以及对未来医疗保健的影响。在照料冲突中的受伤者（通常是遭受多处创伤的爆炸受害者）方面，医疗保健取得了重大进展，但战争中的隐性伤害——创伤性脑损伤、创伤后应激障碍、自杀和抑郁症——的发病率也非常高。这些导致了破坏性行为、无家可归和家庭暴力。与之前的冲突相比，全球反恐战争归来者使用医疗服务和申请残疾补助的比例更高。退伍军人护理费用可能在冲突结束30至40年或更长时间后达到峰值，并将给服务和资源带来巨大负担。由于对家庭和儿童的压力，战争的影响将持续数年并代代相传。我们现在必须动员政府机构，建立公私合作伙伴关系，并投入资源，以减轻即将到来的退伍军人医疗保健需求海啸、对我们社会服务的影响以及对社会造成的毁灭性成本。
