5 Common Health Conditions That Affect Veterans

After years of service in the military, Navy, Marine Corps, or National Guard, many individuals develop health conditions. Most times, these illnesses are side effects of strenuous activities,  psychological stress, and combat. Other contributing factors include exposure to unsafe environments and harmful substances.

Sometimes illnesses manifest immediately, but not always. In some cases, delayed symptoms emerge after a long period. Some illnesses are curable while others aren’t, so learning about them can help you assess the risks. Read on to discover five of the most common illnesses veterans experience. 

Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBIs)

During service, veterans are often deployed to combat zones. Serving on the front lines or engaging in field operations puts them near explosions. The blast waves from landmines, grenades, bombs, or other explosive devices can cause forceful movement in the brain.

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Head impact from wounds and accidents causes swelling and bleeding in the brain. It can also lead to contusions, hemorrhage, memory loss, paralysis, and speech defects, among others. While they’re manageable, those suffering from TBIs may be at risk of developing heart diseases. Hence, early diagnosis is important to prevent complications.

Hearing Impairments

In weapons training, combat, construction, and maintenance zones, service members encounter lots of loud noises. Military-grade equipment, aircraft, and ship engines also produce extreme sounds when in use. When people are constantly in environments where loud sounds are common, their sensory cells can become damaged. The effects of this often include:

• Full or partial hearing loss

• Tinnitus or the presence of ringing, buzzing, or humming noises in the ear

• Increased sensitivity to certain sounds

These conditions usually affect an individual’s ability to communicate effectively and respond to occurrences in the environment.

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

Some experiences have a lasting impact on a person’s mental state. Despite not being physical, mental conditions have devastating effects. It's traumatizing for one to witness multiple deaths on the battlefield, see colleagues terribly harmed, and sustain severe injuries.

Coupled with personal near-death experiences, an individual can be deeply shaken, leading to a state of constant unrest. PTSD manifests in various ways. However, the common symptoms include nightmares, flashbacks, hypervigilance, irritability, and insomnia. Doctors use trauma-focused psychotherapy alongside medications for treatment. 

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Musculoskeletal Injuries

Training for service members is very rigorous. There's a lot of heavy lifting on the job. Over time, repeated strain can damage muscles, joints, ligaments, and tendons. 

The resultant effect may be fractures, dislocations, and chronic pain, which worsen after falls, accidents, or bullet wounds. With consistent treatment, some injuries heal. However, they may affect mobility and cause long-term disability.  

Mesothelioma

Before now, asbestos was used to manufacture military vessels and equipment. At that time, it had not yet been identified as a toxic substance. As a result, people who used tools or worked in structures containing asbestos are at risk of developing mesothelioma. Although it's an aggressive cancer, symptoms develop decades later.

Being a terminal illness, it often results in death. To support eligible families, the US Department of Veterans Affairs provides Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC).  The wives of late service members who died from mesothelioma usually qualify for DIC benefits for widows. 

Endnote

Military service can leave aged veterans with health challenges that affect the quality of their lives. These conditions range from brain injuries to hearing issues, post-traumatic stress disorder, musculoskeletal injuries, and mesothelioma. Some of these are chronic or terminal. Thus, awareness matters because it informs decisions and can affect health outcomes.

[NGpg/VP]

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