Cardiovascular Care in Women Veterans: An Updated Profile

Area of Science:

• Cardiovascular Medicine
• Women's Health
• Military Health

Background:

• Women veterans represent a rapidly growing demographic within the veteran population.
• This group faces a complex interplay of traditional, sex-specific, and service-related cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors.
• They exhibit a higher prevalence of both conventional and non-traditional risk factors for CVD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To offer an updated overview of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) burden and care specific to women veterans.
• To highlight the unique challenges and risk profiles associated with CVD in this population.

Main Methods:

• Review of current literature and data on cardiovascular disease in women veterans.
• Analysis of risk factors, prevalence, and mortality trends.
• Synthesis of information on care disparities and needs.

Main Results:

• Women veterans are susceptible to atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) from age 30, significantly earlier than civilian women.
• Chronic stress and environmental exposures correlate with early menopause and premature coronary artery disease (CAD).
• Despite therapeutic advancements, women veterans experience increasing CVD mortality, contrasting with decreasing rates in other groups.

Conclusions:

• Women veterans face a disproportionately high and increasing burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
• Factors such as depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), military sexual trauma (MST), and housing instability exacerbate CVD risk.
• There is an urgent need for specialized, comprehensive strategies to address the unique cardiovascular health needs of women veterans.