CARDIOVASCULAR RISKS IN THE LATE PERIOD AFTER MINE-BLAST INJURY AND POLYTRAUMA IN VETERANS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32782/pub.health.2026.1.2Keywords:
veterans, mine-blast injury, polytrauma, cardiovascular risk, arterial stiffness, pulse wave velocity, physical rehabilitationAbstract
Topicality. Mine-blast injury and polytrauma are associated not only with acute damage but also with persistent systemic disturbances that may remain in the late post-traumatic period. One underexplored issue is the development of long-term cardiovascular risk in veterans, driven by a combination of vascular dysfunction, autonomic impairment, and reduced functional reserves.
Purpose: to evaluate characteristics of long-term cardiovascular risk formation in veterans after mine-blast injury and polytrauma based on vascular, autonomic, and functional markers.
Materials and methods. This observational cross-sectional study included 105 veterans in the late post-traumatic period (≥12 months after injury), stratified into three age groups (21–35, 36–45, and 46–55 years). We assessed blood pressure, pulse pressure, pulse wave velocity (PWV), ankle–brachial index (ABI), heart rate variability, 1-minute heart rate recovery after exercise (HRR1), 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance, and pain intensity using the visual analogue scale (VAS). Statistical analysis comprised one-way ANOVA, the Kruskal–Wallis’s test, and Spearman correlation analysis.
Results. A significant age-related increase in arterial stiffness and autonomic dysregulation, along with a decrease in functional capacity, was observed. PWV, HRR1, and 6MWT showed close correlations, indicating an interdependence between vascular status and functional reserve.
Conclusions. Veterans after mine-blast injury and polytrauma develop a cluster of subclinical vascular and functional impairments that intensify with age and contribute to long-term cardiovascular risk, supporting the need for early preventive and rehabilitation interventions and a multi-stage rehabilitation management approach.
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