Abstract

To describe the long-term health status of Sardasht civilians 20 years after sulfur mustard exposure, a historical cohort study was carried out in Sardasht (Iran) that included 372 exposed and 128 unexposed civilians. Their symptoms, diagnoses, drug use, and general health were compared. The most common complaints were about the respiratory system (93.5), eyes (52), skin (94.7), and anxiety and depression (69.2). Respiratory (42.5), skin (75.5), ophthalmic (19.6), and mental (62.7) diseases were diagnosed by specialists and they were more common in the exposed group than the control group (P<0.001). Most of the exposed group had used drugs (70.6), which was more than control group (42.8). It seems that exposure to sulfur mustard caused a lot of health problems in Sardasht. Identifying the pathophysiology of these problems can help them more, but more investigation is needed.