Skin Cancer and Other Dermatologic Conditions Among US Veterans

IMPORTANCE: US veterans may be at an increased risk of developing various dermatologic conditions compared with nonveterans. OBJECTIVES: To compare the prevalence and the odds of dermatologic conditions (eg, skin cancers, dermatitis/eczema/rash, psoriasis) between veterans and nonveterans. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: This population-based cross-sectional study leveraged nationally representative data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Three questionnaires (demographics, medical conditions, and dermatology) were merged from 1999-2018 for analysis. Participants were nonveterans and veterans from NHANES data. Data were analyzed from August 2023 to April 2024. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: The prevalence and odds ratios (ORs) comparing veterans and nonveterans were examined for various dermatologic conditions, including self-reported skin cancer history (any skin cancer, melanoma, nonmelanoma and unknown subtypes), dermatitis/eczema/inflamed rash, and psoriasis. RESULTS: In a total of 61 307 participants (54 554 nonveterans and 6753 veterans), there was a higher prevalence of any skin cancer history among US veterans compared with nonveterans (9.0% vs 2.9%; P