Diabetes affects one in four veterans—a rate more than double that of the general population. In an effort to improve glycemic control among veterans with diabetes the VA involves clinical pharmacy specialists (CPSs) in medication management, a strategy that has proven beneficial in a studies at a number of centers.
Diabetes affects more than 34 million—or nearly 10% of—Americans and is the seventh-leading cause of death in the U.S. The prevalence is even higher among U.S. veterans; approximately 25% of individuals who’ve served in the military have diabetes.
A recent review noted that ketogenic diets, which generally are very low in carbohydrate and very high in fat, have traditionally been employed to treat epileptic disorders, although they have been touted as a therapy for Type 2 diabetes and a range of other health conditions—neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, obesity, heart failure and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).
Native Americans, a category including American Indians and Alaska natives, have consistently had the best COVID-19 vaccination rates in the United States since the shots became available in early 2021, according to the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
From the start of the pandemic, American Indians and Alaskan Natives have been disproportionately impacted by the virus. New data released last month by Johns Hopkins University (JHU) helps visualize that disparity, which has been blamed on a higher rate of preexisting conditions and poorer health infrastructure.
Young and middle-age veterans who experienced sexual harassment and assault during military service are at an increased risk for hypertension and, potentially, its cardiovascular complications, a new study suggested.
Members of the reserve component of the U.S. military were much less likely to receive recommended mental healthcare when compared to active-duty personnel, according to a new RAND Corp. study.
In most head-to-head comparisons, surgical care at the VHA is found to be as good or better than that provided in the community. That’s why a recent study on joint replacement surgery was so surprising.
At an earlier point in the COVID-19 pandemic, hopes were raised that the BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) vaccine, which stimulates innate immunity, could provide protection against SARS-CoV-2.
Monoclonal antibody (mAb) therapies were highly effective against COVID-19 in a recent study of Native Americans — a group that has been underrepresented in clinical trials for COVID-19 therapies despite being at greater risk for severe disease.
A new veterans study underscored the critical need for viral suppression and heart disease risk factor modification among HIV patients. Researchers determined that those with sustained viremia or low CD4 cell counts had an excess risk of sudden death.
From almost the very start of the pandemic, nursing homes and long-termcare facilities proved to be particularly vulnerable to the virus. The close quarters combined with elderly patients suffering from preexisting illnesses resulted in a number of outbreaks and a much higher death rate than the general population.
Most veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder don’t just age out of it. At their end of life, veterans with PTSD often frequently exhibit irritability with their caregivers, sleep problems, nightmares, anxiety, guilt, lack of acceptance and restlessness, according to recent research.
Recognizing the substantially greater risk for lung cancer faced by veterans, the VA has aggressively ramped up its screening program to reach those at-risk wherever they are.
The open secret about most clinical trials is that they are not particularly useful, at least not for patients and practicing physicians. Trials typically establish criteria that restrict participation to unusually healthy patients.
As every military strategist knows, winning a battle depends on knowing your adversary’s vulnerabilities. In the last decade, that same approach has transformed cancer therapy.
OMAHA, NE—Lung cancer kills as many people in the United States as the next three most deadly cancers combined. This year, about 236,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease, and nearly 132,000 will die from it. As common as it is in the general population, lung...
The delta variant’s march across America brought a crisis long in the making to the blazing front of the news—and made research coming out of the VA potentially beneficial for the wider health care industry.
For women serving in challenging environments with limited access to clean water, sanitation and medical facilities, knowing how to prevent, diagnose and treat urogenital infections is essential.
With women accounting for more than 15% of all active duty forces, the health needs of women are increasingly coming to the fore. Women represent nearly 21% of the Air Force, making addressing their unique needs particularly critical for mission readiness. In response, the service has introduced a growing number of health initiatives through the Women’s Initiative Team’s (WIT) Female-Specialized Health Care Programs.
The Deborah Sampson Act represented a major advance for women’s health care at the VA, an area long neglected despite the steady rise in the number of women serving in the U.S. military over the last several decades.
Candida, a common yeast, frequently cohabitates on skin and inside the body and typically causes little trouble. When conditions enable it to multiply rapidly or when drug-resistant strains take hold, however, it can cause a range of problems, including vulvovaginal candidiasis, one of the most common infections in women.
Last October, the Food and Drug Administration approved remdesivir, marketed as Veklury, for use in adults and children 12 and older who weight at least 40 kg for the treatment of COVID-19 requiring hospitalization.
Hormone replacement therapy can have a number of beneficial effects—improving libido and sexual function, lifting energy and mood, increasing muscle mass and bone mineral density and decreasing fat mass—in men with low levels of testosterone, according to studies.
Veterans are used to the sound of Taps marking an end. For a growing number, TAPS may indicate the beginning of a road to recovery of independence.
The statistics are alarming. More soldiers die from self-inflicted gunshot wounds than combat injuries. Eighty-three percent of firearm deaths in the military are from suicide.
Does rotation of buprenorphine from full μ-opioid receptor agonists improve pain-related outcomes and lessen adverse effects in patients with chronic pain and long-term use of narcotics?
Pain and heart failure are highly comorbid, which can create problems for clinicians attempting to control the conditions.
While discontinuing chronic opioid therapy in veterans appears to be associated with decreased diagnoses for opioid-related adverse outcomes, the association with substance use disorders appears to be inconclusive, according to a new study.
Approximately 50,000 U.S. military veterans are diagnosed with cancer annually, representing 3% of all cancers across the nation.
