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Page: << Prev | 1 | 2 | 3 | Next >> For instance, among the men with mental health issues, they found that hypertension was twice as likely as in the vets with no mental health diagnoses. While 8 percent of the men without a mental health diagnosis had hypertension, more than 16 percent of those with mental health problems did.
Among the women, 4 percent of those without mental health issues had high blood pressure, but more than 10 percent of those with mental health diagnoses did, the researchers found.
While nearly 6 percent of women without mental health problems had abnormal cholesterol, nearly 14 percent of those with mental health issues did. While 11 percent of men without mental health issues had cholesterol problems, 21 percent of those with them did.
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Other risk factors were also more common in vets with mental health problems, the study authors noted.
What's the explanation? "That's beyond this type of study, but I think it's an important next step for the research," Cohen said.
She did speculate, however. "People with depression or PTSD may have pretty low motivation to go out to the gym and stay physically active, and that can lead to obesity. We certainly see patients [at the VA] who say they have turned to smoking to calm their nerves."
Many risk factors for heart disease are connected, she said. "If you are obese or gaining weight, you are more likely to have cholesterol and blood pressure problems."
The findings make sense to Dr. Mark Kaplan, a professor of community health at Portland State University in Oregon, who has also studied veterans' health issues.
"There are no surprises here in terms of the risks," Kaplan said. "Clearly people with mental health diagnoses are at an elevated risk for smoking, diabetes and other cardiovascular risk factors."
The problems uncovered by Cohen may be just the tip of the iceberg, he said, as only about 40 percent of vets seek care through the VA.
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