One in Four Older U.S. Veterans Report Cardiovascular Disease Diagnosis

WEDNESDAY, Jan. 8, 2025 (HealthDay News) — One in four older U.S. veterans report being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease (CVD) in their lifetime, according to a study published online Dec. 18 in PLOS Mental Health.

Cailin G. Arechiga, M.P.H., from the Yale School of Public Health in New Haven, Connecticut, and colleagues characterized the current prevalence of CVD and its association with sociodemographic, military, trauma, and clinical variables. The analysis included data from 3,001 U.S. military veterans (60 years of age and older) participating in the National Health and Resilience in Veterans Study.

The researchers found that 25.5 percent of veterans reported having been diagnosed with CVD. CVD was independently associated with older age, cumulative trauma burden, nicotine use disorder, and diagnoses of hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes. There was an independent association seen between CVD and a range of mental and physical health conditions (odds ratios, 1.53 to 2.27 and 1.53 to 3.43, respectively).

“Given the broad range of physical and mental health conditions associated with CVD, these findings highlight the importance of integrated and multimodal prevention and intervention efforts for this population,” the authors write. “Further research comprised of more diverse samples that employ longitudinal and mechanistic research designs are needed to examine the prevalence of and bidirectional associations of CVD with demographic, military, and clinical characteristics.”

Abstract/Full Text