Medical waivers for atopic conditions did not affect attrition among U.S. military academy cadets.

Background: Atopic conditions account for approximately 35% of medical disqualifications among West Point applicants each year. There are limited outcome data concerning the utility of the atopic disqualification standards in predicting military success.

Methods: Cadets entering the United States Military Academy (USMA) from 2001-2004 were selected as the cohort for this study. They were classified as exposed (medical waiver for an atopic condition) and unexposed (no medical waiver) and followed throughout their enrollment at the USMA. The outcome measures were attrition from school and frequency of clinic visits.

Results: After adjusting for gender and age, waiver status was not associated with attrition (OR = 1.02) but was associated with an increased odds of being a high clinic user (OR = 1.37). Time-to-event analysis found an equal risk of attrition between the groups over time (HR = 1.03).

Conclusions: Relaxing atopic disqualification standards will not increase the drop-out rate from the USMA, but may increase clinic utilization.