Prevalence of gastrointestinal disease in US Military Veterans under outpatient care at the Veterans Health Administration

Abstract

Objectives: There are currently no reliable estimates of the prevalence of gastrointestinal disease in the US Military Veterans. Hence, the study aims to determine its prevalence in military Veterans in the United States.

Methods: This study utilized a retrospective, correlational design using a patient record database from the Department of Veteran's Affairs. The participants in the study were Veterans diagnosed with gastrointestinal disease. Specific gastrointestinal diseases include more than 500,000 ambulatory care visits annually in the United States, which included peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux disease, diverticular disease, ulcerative colitis, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and functional dyspepsia, as well as the symptoms of constipation and nausea/vomiting. This study revealed the exact prevalence of gastrointestinal disease diagnosed in Veterans served in outpatient settings by the Veterans Health Administration and broke down this prevalence over time and by the Veteran period of service.

Results: Findings revealed that gastrointestinal disease prevalence among Veterans varied according to their period of service.

Conclusions: Findings may help improve screening for Veterans with this increased risk factor. However, further research should be performed to verify the prevalence of gastrointestinal disease in Veterans as compared to the general American population.

Keywords: Gastroenterology/hepatology; US military; Veterans.

Figure 1.

Percentage of Veteran participants who served in each wartime period.