3 Major Health Problems That Disproportionately Affect Vets

Veterans are more likely to report very good or excellent health than their civilian counterparts, so they may not realize that they’re also at greater risk than civilians for some long-term health problems. Of course, many veterans have acute physical health problems, like wounds and amputations, and trauma-based mental health issues like depression and PTSD. Indeed, mental health issues affect 30 percent of Vietnam veterans, 20 percent of Iraqi veterans and about 10 percent of Gulf War and Afghanistan veterans. Less known are some of the ordinary, chronic conditions that disproportionately affect servicemen and women. A new America’s Health Rankings report, published in November, found that vets are more likely to have heart disease, heart attacks and cancer than civilians. The report, which was authored by the United Health Foundation in partnership with the Military Officers Association of America, included data from 60,000 servicemen and women, collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  Here’s what the new report found: 1. Vets are nearly twice as likely to have heart disease and heart attacks About 6 percent of veterans will have a heart attack or develop coronary heart disease, compared to between 3 and 4 percent of civilians who will have those health problems.  What’s more, there’s some evidence that post-traumatic stress disorder could damage the heart over time, according to a 2015 study...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - Category: Science Source Type: news