The hidden impact of the British military’s 20-year involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq on frontline personnel is being uncovered by researchers.
A UK charity is interrogating whether the toll of blast waves and physical impacts have led to long-term health issues among soldiers and veterans.
While visible physical injuries and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been well documented, the complex area of traumatic brain injuries is relatively under-researched.
The ongoing research is taking place to ascertain if there are undetected links between military service and conditions such as long-term sight loss and dementia.
An online survey has now been launched in the weeks before the second anniversary of the UK pullout from Kabul and the continued hostilities in Ukraine.
In terms of dementia, veterans are said to face a ‘unique set of military risk factors’ which may increase the chances of a person developing the condition.
Professor Renata Gomes, chief scientific officer at the military charity BRAVO VICTOR, told Metro.co.uk: ‘One of the signature injuries for British and Allied troops in Afghanistan and Iraq was traumatic brain injuries.
‘The deployment lasted for 20 years before the final troops left Hamid Karzai Airport in Kabul two years ago on August 28.
‘Even now, many years on, there are concerns about the lasting effects of traumatic brain injuries. This may include long-term impairments and disabilities, such as delayed sight loss and dementia, which may not have been linked to a serving soldier or veteran’s original injury.’
BRAVO VICTOR and sister charity Blind Veterans UK have taken part in three main published pieces of research into the links between dementia in military populations and risk factors such as traumatic brain injury, PTSD, deployments and sleep.
Prof. Renata Gomes, Brig. (Rtd) Andy Cash, scientist Syeda Hussain and Dr Lee Jones (Picture: BRAVO VICTOR)
One of the reports cites UK Ministry of Defence figures showing that veterans aged 60 and over comprised 70.5% of the 2.56 million former personnel surveyed in 2015.
The age group is at the greatest risk of dementia and the researchers found that this is compounded by the risk factors.
Further work to explore the links was recommended by the authors and as the research continues the survey has now been launched for people from all walks of life to take part in, so that the findings can aid and inform military and civilian life.
In the US, research has already found links between conditions such as PTSD and dementia at a time when the number of those aged 75 and above in the veteran community is rising.
The UK survey is taking place as a generation of civilians and service personnel face living with the after-effects of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, where the British charities have taken part in work to rehabilitate injured veterans.
‘We can trace the British military experience back to combat missions, exposure to improvised explosive devices and road traffic accidents in Iraq and Afghanistan but also further back, including to the parcel bomb attacks in Northern Ireland,’ Prof. Gomez said.
‘Service personnel may have been in the vicinity of blast waves, which you can be impacted by without going unconscious or even having a nosebleed.
‘Our study sets out to better understand the hidden toll of these under-researched injuries at a time when they are also affecting Ukrainian soldiers, including those showing such bravery during the full-scale invasion and those who have done so since the outset of Russian aggression in 2014.
‘Brain injuries also affect civilians, such as with people who have been involved in road traffic accidents or playing contact sports. We want to see if there is a higher prevalence of these injuries in the military community than in other groups of society, which is why the research is open to everybody.
‘The question is whether some of the impairments and disabilities surfacing now are connected to these injuries and, if so, how we can predict and prevent these debilitating side effects from happening in future.
‘Brain injuries are a complex issue affecting physical and mental health and we need to understand this hidden issue, not just for our own soldiers, veterans and civilians but for the people in Ukraine engaged in combat and exposed to war right now.’
Research has already been carried out by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, which has access to the Million Veteran Programme, one of the world’s largest databases of health and genetic information.
The study, which was published last December, found ‘clear evidence’ of a link between PTSD and head trauma on dementia risk.
The report warned: ‘With more than 40% of the Veteran population above the age of 75, the number of former Service Members at risk for Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is rising.’
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said: ‘Ongoing research is being conducted into traumatic brain injury.
‘We are aware of these studies researching links between traumatic brain injury and dementia and are tracking the results closely.’
To take part in the survey click here
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