Analysis of the disease spectrum of airline pilots in 2017

Objective To provide better health management for pilots by retrospective study of the disease spectrum of China Southern pilots in 2017. Methods The retrospective study method was applied to estimate the detection rate of related disease of 1 826 pilots who participated in the physical examination in 2017. The detection rates of related diseases were compared among 4 age groups (20-29 yrs, 30-39 yrs, 40-49 yrs and >50 yrs). Results Among 1 826 pilots, the top ten diseases were hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, hyperuricemia, presbyopia, gallbladder polyp, ametropia, hearing loss, obesity, vision loss and renal cysts. Among different age groups, the detection rates of hyperlipidemia, fatty liver, hyperuricemia, presbyopia, gallbladder polyp, ametropia, hearing loss, obesity, vision loss, renal cysts and hypertension were significantly different (χ2 =10.456-193.402, P<0.05). And the detection rates of fatty liver, hearing loss, obesity, renal cysts and hypertension increased with age significantly. Conclusions The risk factors of cardiovascular disease in pilots are prominent. And the detection rates of the metabolic related diseases and the decreased audio-visual function are high in them. Controlling the body weight, uric acid and blood lipid would be critical to pilot′s health management. Key words: Physical examination; Prevalence; Hyperlipidemia; Fatty Liver; Spectrum of disease; Pilots