Military service complicates cardiovascular disease risk in women

New science from the American Heart Association shows heart-related health concerns are rising among female veterans. They face unique life challenges which can lead to higher cardiovascular risk.

Over the last few decades, the U.S. military has seen a rapid growth in the number of women veterans.

"We now have over 800,000 women actually enrolled in VA care," said Dr. Sally G. Haskell, director of comprehensive women’s health care with the Veteran’s Health Administration.

She says female vets may be more subject to traditional cardiovascular risk factors including high blood pressure, diabetes, overweight and high cholesterol. Adding to those concerns, Haskell says these veterans face a greater risk of depression and PTSD or post traumatic stress disorder.

"Depression and PTSD actually have a similar risk, added to cardiovascular risk, similar to something like smoking," said Haskell.

Those risk factors add to concerns during pregnancy among women veterans.

"Women who experience things like hypertension or preeclampsia during pregnancy or diabetes during pregnancy, that can actually lead to higher cardiovascular risk later in life," said Haskell.

She says female veterans need to be aware of what their cardiovascular risks are as early as possible so that they can get expert preventive care.