Back
Science

Study finds high blood pressure prevalent among younger post-9/11 U.S. veterans, with significant rates of undiagnosed and untreated cases

Generated on: Last updated: 1 sources
View source

Study Reveals High Rates of Undiagnosed Hypertension in Post-9/11 Veterans

A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on April 22, 2026, examined the prevalence of high blood pressure among post-9/11 U.S. veterans. The analysis used electronic health records from the Veterans Health Administration for 1,181,007 veterans who received care between 2001 and 2023.

Key Findings at a Glance

"Preventing, managing and controlling high blood pressure are essential for protecting cardiovascular health in all adults, including younger adults and those at increased risk of cardiovascular disease." — Tiffany Chang, Ph.D., lead study author and CDC epidemiologist.

  • Participants: The average age was 33.5 years, with approximately 12% being women.
  • Overall Prevalence: Nearly half (45%) of the veterans met the study's clinical definition of high blood pressure.
  • Diagnosis & Treatment Gaps: Among veterans with high blood pressure, about half were undiagnosed and one quarter were untreated.
  • Gender Disparities: Men were more likely to have high blood pressure than women. However, women with high blood pressure were 17% more likely to be undiagnosed compared to men.
  • Racial and Ethnic Disparities:
    • Black veterans were 9% more likely to have high blood pressure than white veterans, but had more primary care visits and were less likely to have undiagnosed or untreated hypertension.
    • Hispanic veterans were 5% more likely to have undiagnosed high blood pressure and 7% more likely to have untreated high blood pressure compared to white veterans.

Expert Commentary

"This is more evidence that high blood pressure is an important issue in young adults. It's disturbing that so many of these were undiagnosed and untreated, even though they were being seen in the VA health system." — Daniel W. Jones, M.D., American Heart Association volunteer expert and past president.

Lead author Tiffany Chang noted that veterans have higher rates of certain risk factors that may contribute to increased hypertension risk.

Study Limitations

The authors noted several important limitations to their research:

  • The observational nature of the study means it can identify associations but cannot prove direct cause and effect.
  • Some cases of high blood pressure may have been missed or misclassified.
  • The study did not include records of medical care or prescriptions veterans may have received outside the Veterans Health Administration system.

Broader Context

The findings are particularly notable given the broader public health context. The American Heart Association's 2026 Statistical Supplement reports that between 2021 and 2023, almost half of all people (47.3%) in the U.S. had high blood pressure.

The CDC received no funding for this study.