Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression are common mental health conditions among U.S. servicemembers, yet only a fraction of those affected pursue mental healthcare services. An even smaller proportion receive adequate levels of care.
Veterans With HIV Tended to Have CVD Events Earlier Than Those Without
HIV patients have an increased atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability, making them more susceptible to severe cardiovascular complications, according to previous research.
Use of HIV Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis Too Low in Women Veterans
HIV remains a persistent health concern in the United States, with more than 36,000 new diagnoses in 2021, according to a new study noting that HIV preexposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended for those at increased risk for infection.
Schizophrenia, Antipsychotics Raised Dementia Risks in Veterans With HIV
A new study raised alarms about the association between dementia risks in HIV patients with schizophrenia and the use of off-label antipsychotics.
Military Health System Multiple Myeloma Patients Survive Longer
Military Health System (MHS) beneficiaries with multiple myeloma have longer 5- and 10-year survival rates compared to multiple myeloma patients from the U.S. general population, according to a recent study.
Veterans Study Found Positive Sotorasib Results Similar to CodeBreak Trials
Three years ago, based on the CodeBreak100 trial, the Food and Drug Administration granted accelerated approval to the KRAS G12C inhibitor sotorasib for treating advanced non-small cell lung cancer in the second line or later.
Limited Information on Breast Cancer Risk After Military Exposures
A long list of health effects have been attributed to military environmental exposures (MEE) such as volatile organic compounds (VOCs), endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs), tactile herbicides, airborne hazards and open burn pits (AHOBP) and depleted uranium.
House Coronavirus Committee Held Its Last Meeting in November
Next month marks the 5-year anniversary of the first case of COVID-19 reported in the United States. Since then, more than 110 million Americans have been infected, and 1.2 million have died.
Medications Can Cause Falls, Related Adverse Outcomes in COPD Patients
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the sixth-most-common cause of death in the United States, but the link between medications and a greater risk of morbidity and mortality in those patients is not well known, according to a new report.
Did VA ‘Cry Wolf’ About Budget Shortfall? Legislators Claim It Did
Legislators are accusing VA of crying wolf after a recent budget update revealed that the department did not need $3 billion in supplemental benefits funding after all and that it might not be facing a healthcare funding shortfall next year, either.
Chronic Ill Health Remains an Issue for Many Gulf War Veterans
For many veterans who served during the 1990-1991 Gulf War era, Gulf War Illness (GWI) and chronic ill health have lasting effects nearly 30 years later, according to a recent study.
How Will the Trump Administration Alter VA Operations? Some Pundits Say to Look at Project 2025 Proposals
As President-elect Donald Trump gathers his Cabinet and prepares to take office for the second time, questions remain about how this new administration will attempt to transform government agencies, including VA.
Suicide Rates Continue to Rise, Especially for Active-Duty U.S. Servicemembers
Suicide deaths per 100,000 servicemembers were 9% higher in 2023 than in 2022, according to a report from the DoD, which advises that 523 servicemembers took their own lives last year.
Reducing Patient Anxiety Caused by ‘Active Surveillance’ of Low-Risk Cancer
In patients with low-risk cancers undergoing active surveillance, the medical field needs to help manage the anxiety caused by waiting, according to a recent study.
Mary Jo Pugh Spearheads Research Into TBI Link to Heart Issues
As an investigator at the Informatics, Decision-Enhancement and Analytic Sciences Center of Innovation (IDEAS COIN) at the Salt Lake City VA, the longitudinal studies that Mary Jo Pugh, PhD, RN, has helped build during her 25-year career have demonstrated that traumatic brain injury (TBI) greatly increases a patient’s risk for a host of comorbidities, most notably chronic cardiovascular disease.
Federal Medicine’s Role in Uncovering How the Epstein-Barr Virus Relates to MS
We interviewed Lynn Levin, MD, formerly of the Department of Epidemiology, Division of Preventive Medicine, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, about the research that led to the discovery of the crucial role of the Epstein-Barr virus in the development of multiple sclerosis and several other autoimmune disorders.
To Care for Him Who Shall Have Borne the Battle and for His Widow, and His Orphan.
During my many career visits to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) building on 810 Vermont Ave. NW, Washington, DC, I have been greeted in the main lobby by Lincoln’s mission statement for the VA. Few governmental agency taskings have been stated more eloquently and succinctly. It would take another 65 years before the modern VA was created, on July 21, 1930, when Hoover signed Executive Order 5398. Lincoln’s call for the American people to pay their debt to those who defend the Constitution remains a primary responsibility of our democracy
Photophobia After Mild TBI Often Declines in Servicemembers After 30 Days
After a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), military servicemembers who suffer from photophobia, a symptom of visual discomfort in response to normal light levels, often show a decline in photophobia within 30 days of the injury, according to a recent study.
Veterans Receiving Educational Materials, More Likely to Deprescribe Problematic Medications
Sending patient-directed educational materials prior to primary care visits proved to be an effective, low-tech intervention to increase deprescribing of potentially low-value and high-risk medications, according to a new VA study.
Vagus Nerve Stimulation Therapy Is Safe Treatment for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy; Has Risks, However
Vagus nerve stimulation therapy is a safe treatment option for drug-resistant epilepsy over long-term follow-up, but the treatment does have risks, according to a recent study.
Identification of PTSD as a Parkinson’s Disease Risk Factor Could Allow Targeting of Preventive Treatment
VA researchers investigating risk factors for Parkinson’s disease (PD) have identified a strong link between the progressive brain disease and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Probability of Unique Symptom Combinations in Mental Health Disorders
Using common diagnostic criteria might have limited generalizability to the large group of individuals with a low-probability symptom combination, according to a new study.
How Anxiety Disorder Can Exist Without ‘Excessive Worry’
Should “excessive worry” be a requirement for a diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder?
Psychotherapy Beneficial When Veterans With PTSD Have a SUD
Is it beneficial for VA to provide evidence-based psychotherapy (EBP) to veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder and co-occurring substance use disorder?
Legislators Question Why VISN Leaders Were Unaware of Hampton VAMC Problems
Lawmakers are seeking answers to how quality control issues could manifest and then linger at the Hampton, VA, VAMC for years without VISN leaders being aware of them.
Higher Rates of Early Menopause Reported in Women Veterans of the Persian Gulf War
Female military personnel from the Persian Gulf War with probable post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are nearly twice as likely to experience early menopause and related health consequences, according to study results presented at the 2024 Annual Meeting of The Menopause Society in Chicago in September.
OIG Report Confirms VA Contention That Original Cerner Contract Created EHR Program Difficulties
Numerous reports have been issued and testimony given detailing the failures in VA’s Electronic Health Record Modernization project. VA officials and legislators have placed at least part of the blame on the original contract that VA signed with Cerner in 2018.
Costs of Diabetic Kidney Disease Called ‘Profound’ in the United States
Diabetic kidney disease (DKD) affects about one-third of Type 2 diabetes patients, affecting quality of life and causing significant economic burdens on the healthcare system.
Some Disparities Continue in Veterans Newly Diagnosed With T2D
Racial/ethnic disparities in glycemic control among non-Hispanic Black (NHB) and non-Hispanic white (NHW) veterans with Type 2 diabetes (T2D) have persisted, especially with very poor glycemic control, according to a new study.
Changes in the Use of Incretin-Based Therapies for T2D at the VHA
Incretin-based therapies for the management of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) have become a well-established class of drugs within the VHA, according to a new study.
