Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States. As a veteran, you may be at higher risk for developing cardiovascular disease due to potential exposures and stressors on the heart. It is important that you keep up with your physician and make sure they are checking on your heart regularly. If you have a history of heart disease in your family, it is especially imperative that you use the resources available to you to ensure that your heart is functioning properly. Continue reading to find out how veterans are at high risk for cardiovascular disease and what are some preventative and treatment measures you could be taking to prolong your vascular health.

What is Cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular disease is any disease that impacts the heart. The heart is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood through your body to deliver oxygen to all of the organs and tissues. Without good blood supply, your body would become hypoxic, and hypoxic organs turn into necrotic, or dead organs and tissues. This is why it’s imperative that your heart be able to carry out its function because anything that interrupts this process can have an enormous impact.

There are many different diseases and illnesses that can impact the heart and its ability to pump. A few examples include arrhythmias (abnormal heart rhythm), congenital heart disease (birth defect that impacts the ability of the heart to pump blood), heart attack or myocardial infarction (blockage of one of the heart’s blood vessels that leads to ischemia or lack of oxygen and cell death), heart failure, high blood pressure, heart valve disease, stroke, and vascular disease which involves the blood vessels instead of just the heart. Anyone can experience any of these diseases and many of these diseases either progress into one another or overlap and occur at the same time. Visit here to read more in depth about these particular heart diseases and their symptoms.

What are risk factors for cardiovascular disease?

Cardiovascular is the most common cause of death in the world, and there are some risk factors that could increase your risk for these diseases. The following are common conditions that can increase the chance for developing heart disease:

High blood pressure, aka the silent killer (because it has no symptoms), is a very common risk factor for heart disease. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure, or hypertension, is by measuring it. You can lower your blood pressure with lifestyle changes or medicine to reduce your risk for heart disease and a heart attack. Prolonged high blood pressure can put too much stress and strain on your tissues and lead to scarring and thickening that can reduce functioning.

High blood cholesterol levels is another health condition that can increase the risk of heart disease. Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made by the liver or found in certain foods and your body makes enough, but we get a lot more from the foods that we eat. If we take in more than the body needs, then it will build up in the walls of the arteries, including the heart, which can narrow the arteries and decrease blood flow, as well as increase pressure in these arteries, leading the high blood pressure.

Diabetes mellitus is another risk factor for disease that is caused from too much sugar in the blood, or a lack of insulin in the blood. Insulin is a hormone that helps to absorb sugar, glucose, into tissues to use for energy. When sugar builds upi n your blood, it makes it sticky and slow, which can cause your heart to have to work harder to pump this thicker blood throughout your body.

Obesity is another risk factor and is excess body fat. It is linked to high levels of cholesterol and triglyceride levels and can lead to high blood pressure and diabetes, which are also risk factors for heart disease. It’s imperative that you try to maintain a healthy weight or exercise to stay active and reduce the build up of fat.

Why are veterans at higher risk for cardiovascular disease?

Veterans in particular are at a higher risk for cardiovascular disease due to the link between cardiovascular disease and other health problems like mental health and substance abuse. Alcoholism and illicit drug use are risk factors for developing heart disease, especially stimulants like cocaine. Veterans are at higher risk for substance abuse than non-veterans, which inherently increases their risk for cardiovascular disease.

In addition to substance abuse, veterans are also at higher risk for poor coping skills in general which can lead to negative health behaviors. This can include poor nutrition and dieting, smoking, seclusion, and other behaviors that negatively impact one’s health.

Mental health disorders like depression, PTSD, anxiety, and a combination of these and others can increase the risk for heart disease. With some of these diseases, the constant state of hyperalertness can lead higher blood pressures and higher heart rates for longer periods of time which can be damaging in the long-term.

Illnesses such as rheumatic fever and parasites, viruses, or bacteria contracted during duty in underserved nations can also increase the risk for certain heart diseases. Pericarditis and myocarditis are two diseases that can be caused by pathogens, some of which are endemic to certain areas of the world. So traveling can also increase the risk for developing cardiovascular disease.

What resources can veterans use for cardiovascular disease?

The VA is a great place to start looking for resources if you or someone you know has cardiovascular disease. They have the latest information on resources, studies, research, and anything else that may be relevant to your disease. If you are at risk for heart disease, then please consult your primary care physician for ways to maintain your heart health and avoid developing any serious heart disease. If you think you may have heart disease because you’ve experienced symptoms, then you should definitely consult your physician as you want to be able to manage it, and the earlier the better.

Sources:

• https://www.webmd.com/heart-disease/guide/diseases-cardiovascular
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3141329/
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4085922/
• https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.119.005563
• https://www.cdc.gov/heartdisease/risk_factors.htm