Analysis of pulmonary functions in military pilots

Objective To analyze pulmonary functions in military pilots and provide reference for the corresponding aeromedical care. Methods One hundred and ninety pilots who took annual physical examination were grouped by flight time, type of aircraft, smoking index and body mass index. Their pulmonary functions, including index of lung volume, pulmonary ventilation function and small airway function, were analyzed. The pulmonary function results were expressed by the percentages of the actual to the predictable value. Results There were 70 cases (36.84%) showed pulmonary function abnormalities in 190 pilots, in which 4 cases decreased in forced vital capacity (FVC), 62 cases declined in forced expiratory volume in 1 s vs. forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC), 1 case declined both in FVC and FEV1/FVC, 31 cases declined in small airway function. Minute ventilation (MV), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1), FEV1/FVC and forced expired flow at 25% of forced vital capacity (FEF25) in pilots who had flown for ≥1 200 h were significantly lower than those who had flown for <1 200 h (P<0.05). Fighter pilots' vital capacity (VC) and FVC were higher than the helicopter pilots' (P<0.05), but FEV1/FVC was less than helicopter pilots' (P<0.05). The smoking index and body mass index had certain effects on pilots' pulmonary functions (P<0.05). Conclusions The pulmonary functions of the military pilots with longer flight time, higher smoking and body mass indices have shown certain degradation. The regular pulmonary function examination is suggested for the aeromedical care to such pilot group. Also the supervision of all military pilots' pulmonary functions should be strengthened. Key words: Physical examination; Pulmonary function; Pilots