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Table 2 Participant characteristics: Kansas criteria qualifying symptom domains (mean ± SD)

From: Lower blood malondialdehyde is associated with past pesticide exposure: findings in Gulf War illness and healthy controls

Characteristics

1st test-set

2nd test-set

Combined test-sets

P value

1st versus 2nd set comparison

Case

(n = 20)

Ctrl

(n = 20)

P

Case (n = 20)

Ctrl

(n = 20)

P

Case

(n = 20)

Ctrl

(n = 20)

P

All

Case

Ctrl

Fatigue-sleep

7.7 ± 2.4

0.30 ± 0.66

< 0.0001

7.2 ± 3.9

0.05 ± 0.22

< 0.0001

7.4 ± 3.2

0.18 ± 0.50

< 0.0001

0.38

0.63

0.12

Pain

6.1 ± 2.2

0.10 ± 0.31

< 0.0001

4.8 ± 2.4

0.15 ± 0.4

< 0.0001

5.4 ± 2.4

0.13 ± 0.40

< 0.0001

0.38

0.082

0.70

Neurological

19.0 ± 9.2

0.30 ± 0.66

< 0.0001

18.0 ± 7.6

0.05 ± 0.22

< 0.0001

18.0 ± 8.4

0.18 ± 0.50

< 0.0001

0.82

0.75

0.12

Skin

2.3 ± 0.47

0.05 ± 0.22

< 0.0001

1.4 ± 1.8

0 ± 0

0.0014

1.9 ± 2.0

0.025 ± 0.16

< 0.0001

0.21

0.15

0.32

Gastrointestinal

3.6 ± 2.4

0.05 ± 0.22

< 0.0001

3.8 ± 2.3

0 ± 0

< 0.0001

3.7 ± 2.3

0.025 ± 0.16

< 0.0001

0.86

0.74

0.32

Respiratory

2.2 ± 1.9

0.05 ± 0.22

< 0.0001

2.3 ± 2.2

0 ± 0

< 0.0001

2.3 ± 2.0

0.025 ± 0.16

< 0.0001

0.95

0.88

0.32

#Symptoms Rated 2 + 

5.1 ± 0.97

0.20 ± 0.41

< 0.0001

4.7 ± 1.0

0.05 ± 0.22

< 0.0001

4.9 ± 1.0

0.13 ± 0.33

< 0.0001

0.63

0.21

0.16

  1. The first-set (batch) evaluated MDA in the first 20 case–control pairs. The second-set (batch) evaluated the remaining participants. Values for the fatigue-sleep, pain, neurological, skin, gastrointestinal, and respiratory domains reflect the average sum of individual participants’ ratings (not present, mild, moderate, or severe) of the symptoms in each domain. Ratings for each symptom were given one of the following values: 0 = not present or onset prior to Gulf War; 1 = mild; 2 = moderate; 3 = severe. The sum range was 0–12 for the fatigue-sleep domain; 0–9 for the pain domain; 0–42 for the neurological domain; 0–6 for the skin domain; 0–9 for the gastrointestinal domain; and 0–9 for the respiratory domain. The “# Symptoms Rated 2 + ” category is defined as the number of domains having a score of 2 or greater. The range of values is 0–6. P for difference values were calculated by performing t-tests
  2. Ctrl control, SD standard deviation, MDA malondialdehyde