Analysis of the hospitalizing and grounding related disease spectrums of Navy flying personnel

Abstract

Objective To investigate the spectrum of principal diseases that caused flying personnel hospitalized and then grounded from 2001 to 2006, as well as the changes in spectrum in order to provide countermeasure suggestions. Methods The case history data of hospitalized and grounded navy flying personnel from 2001 to 2006 were reviewed and compared to those during other periods. Results ① The incidence of cervical and lumbar spine disorder rose remarkably in navy flying personnel and its constituent ratios that resulted in flying personnel hospitalized and grounded reached 19.1% and 14.0% respectively. Both constituent ratios ranked the first in hospitalization and grounding reasons. ② Headache, neurasthenia and other functional diseases were still the main reasons of causing navy flying personnel hospitalized and grounded. The constituent ratio of these two diseases was 18.3 % and 11.3 % respectively for hospitalization, and was 11.0% and 10.0% respectively'for grounding. ③ Even syncope (including G-induced loss of consciousness) showed a lower constituent ratio of hospitalization as 4.2 %, but a higher constituent ratio of medical grounding as 13.0%. ④ Both the constituent ratios of hospitalization and medical grounding were decreased gradually in gastrointestinal and infectious diseases. But individual cases of infectious disease should still be cared. Conclusions The spectrum of diseases that caused flying personnel hospitalized and medical grounded shows a close correlation to vocational factor. Based on the feature of flight vocational, applying such countermeasures as reasonable exercise, effective protection equipment, positive mental intervention, highly prevention of cardiovascular diseases, etc, would significantly lower the prevalence and medical grounding rate of flying personnel. Key words: Eligibility determination; Physical examination; Personnel selection; Prevalence