Study Finds Nearly Half of Post‑9/11 Veterans Have Hypertension, Many Cases Undiagnosed

Overview

• Journal of the American Heart Association researchers on Wednesday published a review of 1,181,007 post‑9/11 veterans showing 44.9% met hypertension criteria.
• Among veterans with high blood pressure, about half were undiagnosed and 26% were not receiving blood pressure medication.
• Women had a lower prevalence than men yet were more likely to have undiagnosed hypertension, indicating gaps in recognition for female veterans.
• Black veterans had higher prevalence than white peers but were less likely to be undiagnosed or untreated, while Hispanic veterans faced higher odds of both undiagnosed and untreated hypertension.
• The cross‑sectional analysis used VA clinic readings of at least 140/90 mm Hg, diagnosis codes, and medication fills, and because it excluded care outside the VA and cannot show cause, the authors urged earlier screening and management to close care gaps.