1945-1965 Veterans Birth Cohort

The 1945-1965 Veterans Birth Cohort (VBC) is a cohort of all Veterans born between the birth years of 1945 and 1965. The birth years were based on data from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey that indicated that persons born between 1945 and 1965 had the highest prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection. This cohort has 4.5 million Veterans which is roughly half of the Veteran population. Objectives of the 1945-1965 VBC are to study HCV screening, outcomes of chronic HCV infection, antiviral treatment, and cure and aging-associated morbidities, including cancer and organ system disease in people with a high prevalence of HCV infection. Diagnostic coding algorithms have been developed and validated for a number of important health outcomes of interest in the VBC, including acute myocardial infarction, heart failure, diabetes mellitus, HIV, decompensated cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, HCV infection, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and chronic kidney disease.

The cohort includes 94% male , 64% white and 17% black. There are about 280,000 women in the VBC.