The most common risk factors worldwide for liver cancer are chronic infection with hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, according to the American Cancer Society.
Risk of Acute Liver Injury Found to Be Low With Hepatitis C ‘Cure’
More than 5% of U.S. veterans are infected with chronic hepatitis C (HCV)—roughly triple the rate of the general population, with the percentage, 10%, even higher among those born between 1945 and 1965.
Study Describes the Success of the VA’s Hepatic Innovation Team Collaborative
Hepatitis C can lead to serious liver diseases including cirrhosis and liver cancer—particularly hepatocellular carcinoma, which accounts for about 90% of all liver cancer cases.
NAFLD Is Dramatically Growing as a Cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
The worldwide prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma is expected to increase in line with the growing obesity epidemic.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis Delays Common for Veterans With Cirrhosis
What factors are behind delays in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in veterans who have cirrhosis of the liver?
Nasopharyngeal Swabs Superior for Diagnosing SARS-COV-2 Infection
Identifying SARS-CoV-2 infections quickly and accurately is critical to managing the COVID-19 pandemic and reducing community spread of the virus.
Veterans’ Diseases Presumed to Be Linked to Agent Orange Exposure
VA has recognized certain cancers and other health problems as presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. Veterans and their survivors may be eligible for benefits for these diseases.
VA Begins Processing Claims for New Conditions Related to Agent Orange
Last month, VA began processing disability claims for asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis on a presumptive basis for veterans who served in southwest Asia and some other areas.
Unexpected Results Revealed No Boost in Veteran Suicide Rate During Pandemic
Past research has suggested that suicide rates rose during the 2018 influenza epidemic—unrelated to World War I and Prohibition—and during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak among older adults in Hong Kong.
Military, VA, Other Federal Medicine Agencies Mandate COVID-19 Vaccines
The Food and Drug Administration’s full approval of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine paved the way for a sweeping vaccine mandate for military personnel.
Strebel Helps Create Tool to Identify VA COVID-19 Patients Most at Risk
Is it possible to create an algorithm that not only accurately predicts which COVID-19 patients will be hardest hit by the virus but will also be accepted and trusted by clinicians?
VA Declines to Add Controversial Alzheimer’s Drug to Formulary
The VA joined several other major players in the health care market in deciding not to add the recently approved—and controversial—Alzheimer’s drug aducanumab (Aduhelm) to its national formulary.
Smell Loss Might Signal Neurodegenerative Disease Risk in COVID-19 Survivors
In the early days of the pandemic, Col. Michael Xydakis, MD, a director at the Air Force Research Laboratory, was intrigued by reports of anosmia occurring with COVID-19.
NAFLD Is Dramatically Growing Cause of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
SINGAPORE – The worldwide prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma is expected to increase in line with the growing obesity epidemic. NAFLD already is the fastest-growing cause of the liver cancer in the United States, France and...
Benefit Found for Testing Veterans With Hepatitis B for Liver Cancer
SEATTLE, WA – The most common risk factors worldwide for liver cancer are chronic infection with hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, according to the American Cancer Society. Both of those infections lead to cirrhosis of the liver, but, in the United States, ...
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Diagnosis Delays Common for Veterans with Cirrhosis
HOUSTON – What factors are behind delays in diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma in veterans who have cirrhosis of the liver? A recent study examined the frequency of delayed diagnosis and the factors involved in a cohort of VHA cirrhosis patients. Results were...
COVID-19 Vaccine Expected to Be Required for Military Personnel This Month
The DoD plans to request a presidential waiver to require all servicemembers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine starting in mid-September, according to a memo sent by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.
Two mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Averaged Above 95% Effective in Veterans
Veterans enrolled in VA care are not a typical population of U.S. patients. Because of older age, higher burden of comorbidities and higher prevalence of social vulnerability factors, they are at higher risk for a range of health consequences.
SGLT2 Inhibitors Found to Be Superior to Sulfonyureas in Veterans’ T2D
Sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, a relatively new class of antihyperglycemics, have become an important tool in the treatment of Type 2 diabetes—a disease that affects an estimated 25% of VA patients.
VA Adopts a Multipronged Approach to Reducing Pressure Injuries
Despite being a “never event” for hospitals, pressure injuries are remarkably common—and deadly. Up to three million Americans experience pressure injuries and more than 60,000 die from just the hospital-acquired version of these wounds each year.
VA Meets Challenge: Pressure Injuries in Veterans with Spinal Cord Injuries
During the peak of the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, servicemembers sustained spinal cord injuries at eight times the rate of their civilian counterparts.
In Most Cases, Pressure Ulcers Are Considered a ‘Geriatric Syndrome’
In many ways, according to a recent study, chronic wounds and pressure ulcers are a geriatric syndrome.
VA Model Promoted to Prevent COVID-19 Deaths During Vaccine Rollout
A model developed by VA researchers showed promise for preventing a substantial number of SARS-CoV-2-related deaths during vaccine rollout, if used in the general population, according to a new study.
Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship Improves at VA But Remains Ongoing Problem
VHA’s antibiotic stewardship programs implemented about eight years ago are beginning to pay off, but there is a lot of work left to do, according to new research.
VA Studies Seek to Find Balance in Antibiotic Duration for Male UTI Treatment
Urinary tract infection is one of the diagnoses for which antibiotics are most commonly used. So, a study determining that shorter duration treatment works as well as a longer course of antibiotics can have an outsized effect on reducing overuse of antimicrobials.
Pain Cream Sellers Sentenced for Bilking TRICARE Out of Mega-Millions
Prosecution continues for defendants charged in a number of nearly-identical schemes to defraud TRICARE and other insurers out of hundreds of millions of dollars by exploiting a former loophole in the billing process for compound drugs.
Levothyroxine Therapy Overused in Patients With Sub-clinical Hypothyroidism
An ongoing problem in treating hypothyroidism is dealing with patients who fall into the sub-clinical category. The result is that more than half of U.S. patients initiating levothyroxine therapy in a 10-year period failed to meet the threshold for benefit, according to a new study.
Global Warming Might Exacerbate Disease Burden of Multiple Sclerosis
While the global effects of climate change are much discussed, research now is evaluating the much more specific consequences of temperature fluctuations, including detrimental outcomes for multiple sclerosis patients.
VA Takes Lead in Requiring COVID-19 Vaccine for Front-line Healthcare Workers
When the VA, the largest healthcare system in the U.S., mandated COVID-19 vaccines for front-line healthcare workers in late July, it moved to the forefront of a building trend to require COVID-19 vaccines for some employees. It also established the department as the first federal agency to take the step.
DMTs Appear to Be Underused in Younger MS Patients, Including Veterans
Disease-modifying therapies (DMTs) help prevent permanent damage to the central nervous system when used early on to treat multiple sclerosis patients.
