NEW ORLEANS—U.S. veterans have a high prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder, but the search for effective medications continues. A presentation at the American Diabetes Association’s 80th Scientific Sessions raised the possibility that a common diabetes drug...
VA Surgical Quality Meets or Exceeds Nearby Community Hospitals
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, VT—Under the MISSION Act, veterans who meet certain criteria can opt to receive medical care—including surgery—from community providers instead of the VA. Based on the results of a new study, they might not want to, however. A new study...
Biomarker Helps Identify Multiple Sclerosis Much Earlier in the Disease Process
Military Personnel Study Could Improve MS Treatment BOSTON—Early identification of multiple sclerosis could enable interventions to prevent demyelinating events and the progression of neurodegeneration, as well as help pinpoint causal factors of the disease. A study...
Rural Areas Present Challenges for Gathering Medication History
BIRMINGHAM, AL—Even more than other veterans, those in rural areas often see providers and obtain medications outside the VA system, in many cases because the closest VA facility might be distant from their home or they have a primary care provider in their community....
Weight Gain May Endanger Some Benefits of Hepatitis C Cure
NEW HAVEN, CT—A year ago the VA announced it had eliminated chronic infections with hepatitis C virus in all veterans willing and able to be treated. More than 100,000 veterans achieved sustained virological response or a cure with the help of direct-acting antivirals...
DoD Targets 8,000 Units of Convalescent Plasma in Battle Against COVID-19
FALLS CHURCH, VA—The DoD has committed to collecting more than 8,000 units of plasma from patients who have recovered from COVID-19 by September 30, 2020. The collection will enable researchers to better understand trends in antibody production in individuals who have...
Sleep Apnea Increases Need for Opioids in Veterans
WEST HAVEN, CT — Does sleep disruption caused by obstructive sleep apnea lead to hyperalgesia and contribute to poor pain control and use of prescription opioids?
Auricular Acupuncture Effective for Short-Term Pain
FARGO, ND — Battlefield Acupuncture is a unique auricular procedure use by many VHA facilities, according to a new study which suggested that, based on past research, it can reduce pain for up to two weeks.
PTSD Raises Risk for Cancer Pain in VHA Patients
BOSTON — While research has shown a link between chronic pain and post-traumatic stress disorder, not much is known about the longitudinal course of pain and PTSD during cancer treatment, according to a new study.
VA Neurologists Find That Stroke Looks Different During Coronavirus Pandemic
SAN FRANCISCO—Since the novel coronavirus pandemic hit Europe in early March and washed across the United States later that month, emergency department staff and neurologists have asked, “Where are the stroke patients?” By April, they were asking another question of...
VA Defends Use of Hydroxychloroquine in Veterans With COVID-19
WASHINGTON — Legislators and veterans advocates are concerned about VA’s continued use of hydroxychloroquine, an antimalarial also commonly used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and lupus, on COVID-19 patients.
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma Most Common Malignancy in HIV Patients on Dialysis
AUGUSTA, GA — Patients with HIV and/or end-stage renal disease receiving dialysis appear to have an increased risk of developing malignancies, but little research has been conducted on cancer in patients with both conditions. A study in Clinical Kidney Journal sought...
Ibrutinib Helps Limit Mantle Cell Lymphoma Progression After AutoSCT
SEATTLE – Can autologous stem cell transplantation extend remission of mantle cell lymphoma? A study published in the journal Blood Research said the procedure could do that but also cautioned that the management of subsequent MCL relapse can be challenging. VA Puget...
For Veterans, Upping Opioid Dosage Doesn’t Provide Superior Pain Relief
LITTLE ROCK, AR—More isn’t necessarily better when it comes to opioid treatment. That was the somewhat surprising finding of a study focusing on veterans with chronic pain related to arthritis, back pain, neck pain, neuropathic pain or headache/migraine. A report in...
Standard Treatment for Pneumonia Usually Equal to More Powerful Antibiotics
SALT LAKE CITY—A new study is likely to change treatment patterns for veterans diagnosed with bacterial pneumonia. New research suggests that using antibiotics that target antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a first-line therapy for pneumonia appears to be unnecessary in...
Disadvantaged Neighborhoods Linked to Brain Atrophy
MADISON, WI—While the association of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage with development of dementia and cognitive decline in older adults is not well known, a new study suggested that identifying risk factors for brain atrophy can help direct new approached to...
Discovery of GWI Brain Inflammation Could Lead to New Treatments
BOSTON—New research holds out promising for identifying and developing new therapies for veterans with Gulf War Illness. A report in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity discussed the discovery of widespread inflammation in the brains of patients diagnosed with...
VA: AI-powered Wearable Predicts Heart Failure a Week Before Hospitalization
SALT LAKE CITY—More veterans leave the hospital with a diagnosis of heart failure than any other condition, making improving care for this rapidly growing segment of the population a high priority. A critical step is keeping veterans with heart failure out of the...
Nurse Researcher Pushes Teeth-Brushing to Decrease Hospital Infections
SALEM, VA—It’s a frustrating reality of hospital life—the possibility that a patient might develop an illness under care that they did not have when they arrived. Caused by bacteria rather than a virus, hospital-acquired pneumonia is the second most common type of...
Veteran Study Looks at Thrombotic Events in Polycythemia Vera Patients
SAN ANTONIO—Patients with polycythemia vera face an elevated risk of thromboembolic events and cardiovascular disease, compared to patients with other myeloproliferative disorders. A German-led study last year in Annals of Hematology pointed out that CV conditions are...
Veteran Study Links DPP-4 Inhibitors to Greater Joint Pain Risk
MORGANTOWN, WV—Dipeptidyl peptidase (DPP)-4 inhibitors appear to be associated with joint pain in older veterans who receive care at the VHA but also are Medicare beneficiaries, according to a new study. The report in American Health Drug Benefits pointed out that...
VA Mental Healthcare Being Used by Depressed, Pregnant Vets
WORCESTER, MA—While depression screening is recommended for all pregnant veterans, it had remained unknown how often symptomatic women received care, how depression treatment presented in practice, and whether women veterans were utilizing treatment during the...
With Obesity, Moderate Hyperglycemia Hastens Cognitive Decline
PITTSBURGH —What precisely is the relationship between cognitive decline in patients with both diabetes and obesity? Researchers from the VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System and the University of Pittsburgh sought to investigate the potential mechanisms leading to those...
Tuscaloosa VAMC Physician Promotes Employment for Veterans With PTSD
TUSCALOOSA, AL—With the Veterans Coordinated Approach to Recovery and Employment project, Lori Davis, MD, knows she has her work cut out for her. Not only does she have to prove that individual placement and support employment services can help veterans with...
A VA-Like Pharmacy Benefits Program Could Be a National Model
Potential to Fix Two Huge Problems with the U.S. Healthcare System CAMBRIDGE, MA—Rising drug prices have frustrated patients nationwide, often leading individuals to forgo needed therapies because they simply could not afford them. In some instances, cost-control...
New Program Helps Transitioning Servicemembers with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Delays in VA Appointments Pose Challenges SAN ANTONIO, TX — A new program at the Brooke Army Medical Center at Fort Sam Houston aims to give transitioning servicemembers with inflammatory bowel disease the information they need to manage their disease when they leave...
Palliative Care Extends Survival in Veterans with Lung Cancer
PORTLAND, OR — While the term “palliative care” is usually associated with ameliorating pain and discomfort at the end of life, it appeared to have other benefits for veterans, according to a new study. In this cohort study of 23 ,154 patients with advanced lung...
Agent Orange Linked to Overall Head/Neck Cancers
PORTLAND, OR — Agent Orange exposure might have had more effect than previously assumed on development of head and neck cancers, according to a recent study. A report in the Oral Oncology journal described how self-reported Agent Orange exposure was linked with...
What Is the Relationship Between Parkinson’s Psychosis, Treatment?
LONDON, UK – For years, common treatments -- levodopa and dopamine agonists (dopamine replacement therapy [DRT]) – have been implicated in Parkinson's disease psychosis. A report published in Movement Disorder Clinical Practice pointed out that the relationship...
Study Finding Could Detect Alzheimer’s Disease Earlier
SAN DIEGO — People who were diagnosed as having “objectively-defined subtle cognitive difficulties” appeared to accumulate amyloid more quickly than those deemed cognitively normal, according to a new study. That information could potentially improve early detection...
