Diabetes Health in the News Podcast: Severe Combat Trauma Raises Diabetes, Hypertension Risks

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Researchers have found that war veterans who experience severe injuries in combat are at a higher risk of developing certain health problems, including diabetes, chronic kidney disease (CKD), and coronary artery disease (CAD). Findings also showed when the severity of the injury increased; the health risks were also substantially elevated.

Researchers examined the health records of approximately 4,000 U.S. military veterans who had been critically wounded in Afghanistan or Iraq. Each increase of 5 points on an injury severity score was associated with a 6% increase in hypertension, 13% increase in diabetes, and 15% increase in chronic kidney disease. The takeaway from this study is that a combat injury could dramatically predispose a service member to chronic medical conditions.

These findings were published in Circulation on November 2, 2015.