Gastrointestinal morbidity among World War II prisoners of war: 40 years on

A study of Australian male World War II veterans was conducted to assess clinically the gastrointestinal ill‐effects which were present 40 years after the stress of internment as prisoners of war of the Japanese. A random sample of 170 surviving members of the captured Eighth Army Division resident in Sydney in 1983 (ex‐POW) was compared with a similar sample of veterans who fought in Southeast Asia during the War, but were not imprisoned (non‐POW). Duodenal ulcers and strongyloidiasis were more prevalent in the ex‐POW group than in the non‐POW group. The increased rate of duodenal ulcer (24.7%, compared with 10.5%; P = 0.0005) was confirmed by a higher proportion of ex‐POWs currently taking cimetidine (9.0%, compared with 2.3%; P = 0.008). Strongyloidiasis had been found in 9.7% of all veterans, but in 15% of ex‐POWs and in 19% of those who had worked on the Burma‐Thailand railway. No other significant differences in gastrointestinal disease were found.

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