PORTLAND, OR—A thrashing form of sleep behavior is much more common among military veterans who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder or concussion, compared to the general population. Now, researchers at the VA Portland Health Care System and Oregon Health &...
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...
Processes to Evaluate, Care for Military Sexual Trauma Patients Improve
WASHINGTON—With an increase in the number of servicemembers coming forward to report their experience with sexual assault during active duty, VA is slowly making progress in implementing best practices for how to evaluate and care for survivors of military sexual...
Deadly Combination for Veterans: Obstructive Lung Disease Plus Sleep Apnea
ATLANTA—Among veterans, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma and obstructive sleep apnea all occur at significantly higher rates than in the general population. Greater rates of smoking and obesity contribute to the elevated risk for these conditions in...
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...
TRICARE Covers 3D Mammograms Under Provisional Program
WASHINGTON — As of the beginning of the year, TRICARE is offering 3D mammograms to screen for breast cancer for eligible patients. Previously, Tricare only covered digital breast tomosynthesis in special case (i.e., after a physician order for at-risk patients or...
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...
Women Veterans With PTSD Have More Risk Factors for Heart Disease
LOS ANGELES—While post-traumatic stress disorder in veterans previously has been linked to heart disease, the cohorts used in those studies were overwhelmingly mail. Now, a new study took a close look at PTSD’s effect on heart health in women veterans—and the news...
Study Looks at Trichomonas Vaginalis Infection, Cancer Link
LOUIS—The protist Trichomonas vaginalis causes a common, sexually transmitted infection, some research has raised the possibility that it might contribute to the development of chronic prostate conditions, including benign prostatic hyperplasia and prostate cancer. A...
With Equal Care, African Americans With Multiple Myeloma Outlive Others
BOSTON—A recent VA study has shed new light on racial disparities in multiple myeloma. “Previous work examined survival and treatment in multiple myeloma in the broader U.S. healthcare system and found disparities in survival,” said study co-author Nathanael Fillmore,...
VA Conducts Largest Real-World Study of Newer CLL Treatment Options
Research Offers Insight into Evolving Clinical Practice SAN ANTONIO—The massive VA health database revealed unique insights into the treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia in actual clinical practice to a team of researchers based at the South Texas Veterans Health...
Nephrologists Face ‘Emotional Burden’ in Treating CKD
BOSTON—Even though U.S. clinical practice guidelines generally recommend that nephrologists discuss all treatment options, including conservative management, with Stage 4 and 5 chronic kidney disease patients, that rarely occurs, according to a new study. The report...
Do VA PCPs Over-Prescribe Corticosteroids for Mild-Moderate COPD?
CLEVELAND—Veterans are three times more likely to develop chronic obstructive pulmonary disease than the general population, and COPD is the fifth most prevalent disease in the veteran population, affecting about 15% of VHA patients, according to previous research. A...
Common Blood Test Identifies Veterans at High Risk of Diabetes
ATLANTA—A test included in nearly all routine blood chemistry panels provides a surprising window on a patient’s future health. The random plasma glucose test—at levels previously considered unremarkable—can predict whether a patient is likely to develop diabetes in...
No Higher Rates of Exacerbation in COPD Patients Using Beta-Blockers
VA Researchers Also Can’t Identify Protective Effects BIRMINGHAM, AL—Multiple observational studies have suggested that beta blockers benefit patients with moderate or severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and coexisting cardiovascular disease, with outcomes...
Intensifying Diabetes Treatment Increases Short-Term Mortality for Veterans
NASHVILLE, TN—Adding insulin or sulphonylurea to metformin increased the risk of death among veterans with diabetes in the initial six- and 12-month period, according to a recent study. Insulin increased the risk of death 66% more than sulfonylurea at six months, but...
Successful PTSD Treatment Halves Diabetes Risk for Veterans
LOUIS—Improving post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, a laudable goal itself, has the added benefit of lowering patients’ risk for developing Type 2 diabetes, according to a new report. A cohort study by Jeffrey Scherrer, PhD, professor of family and community...
When Is Surgery the Best Option for GERD Unresponsive to PPIs?
VA Study Offers Guidance, Decries Limited Treatment Alternatives DALLAS—At the VA, proton pump inhibitor prescriptions are first-line treatment for veterans who complain of heartburn and other gastrointestinal reflux issues. The real challenge comes, however, in the...
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy As Cost-Effective As Medications After Five Years
VA Study: More Depression Patients Should Get Access to Talk Therapy BOSTON – Nationwide, about a fourth of patients diagnosed with major depression are treated with talk therapy by a trained counselor. Many more might prefer that approach to taking medication, but...
Service Factors Affecting Pain Reports in Gulf War Veterans
SAN DIEGO — Headaches and other type of pain are frequent complaints among veterans of Gulf War I (1990-91) and Post-Gulf War I (1992-2015), according to a new study.
Menopausal Symptoms Increase Long-Term Opioid Use Risk
Unrecognized by many in healthcare is that the greatest increases in long-term opioid use and opioid-related overdose mortality in recent years have been among women in midlife.
Best Pain Rating Scales for Cognitively Impaired Veterans
Cognitive-behavioral impairment can be intensified by pain in traumatic brain injury patients and impede rehabilitation efforts
More Options, Better Survival for Veterans With Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest malignancies in the United States, but new therapies can extend life and improve quality of life for many patients.
VA Study Shows Kidney Disease Ups Diabetes Risk
LOUIS—For years, research has shown that patients with diabetes have an increased risk of kidney disease. But what about the reverse? A new study published in the journal Kidney International provides evidence that kidney dysfunction also ups the risk of developing...
Hypoglycemia Common in Hospice Patients Continuing Insulin Treatment
BOSTON—Clinical guidelines recommend relaxing glycemic control target levels for patients with diabetes and advanced disease and eventual discontinuation of medications as patients near death to avoid hypoglycemia. A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine...
Longer LOS Doesn’t Reduce COPD Readmissions
Recent financial penalties for high risk-adjusted chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) readmissions have pushed hospitals to search for ways to reduce readmissions for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, a new study notes.
Study Looks at Soldiers’ Pre-Deployment Respiratory Health
The respiratory health of military personnel deployed to Southwest Asia continues to be an issue of great concern in light of their exposures to a variety of environmental hazards.