Analysis of the disease spectrum of the ship crew during the two consecutive escort missions

Abstract

Objective To investigate the disease spectrum of the ship crew during the 2 escort missions in the Gulf of Aden and to find out the causes.Methods All the medical records of the ship crew who sought medical aid from the formation aid station afloat during the escort missions were investigated.Statistics was made in total incidence,the disease spectrum and its constituents,the percentage of male and female crew,and the disease incidence among the male crew of different age groups and statistical data were analyzed accordingly.Results Statistically significant differences could be seen in the day and night incidence and in the day and night incidence of the male crew of different age groups among the 2 crews of the escort vessels( P ＜ 0.01 ).Nevertheless,no significant differences could be noted in the day and night incidence among the male and female crews of the same age groups(P＞0.05).Respiratory diseases,traumas,dermal diseases,digestive system diseases and stomatological diseases were the first 5 disorders among the 2 escort crews.The 5 diseases with most frequent occurrence were upper respiratory infection,limb traumas,lumbocrural pain,sore throat and tinea.Conclusions Following prolonged deployment at sea,changes in the disease spectrum would occur,with the decrease of total incidence among the ship crew.The female crew,just as her counterpart could be deployed in prolonged navigation. Key words: Escort; Disease spectrum; Prolonged deployment at sea; Constituent ratio