ABSTRACT. The prevalence of secondary and curable hypertension was studied retrospectively in 1000 patients. The concept of “secondary hypertension” was used when hypertension was combined with a disease which may have affected the individual's blood pressure. When this definition was applied, 47 of the patients displayed some form of secondary hypertension: stenosis of the renal artery in 10, renoparenchymal disease in 21, hydronephrosis in 3, and endocrine hypertension in 13 (8 of the latter were using oral contraceptives). The blood pressure normalized in 11 and improved in 7 of these patients after operative treatment of the underlying disease or, when appropriate, discontinuance of intake of contraceptive pills. The incidence of secondary hypertension in this and other series is low, and the number of patients with curable hypertension is even lower. In the majority of cases, secondary hypertension can be diagnosed by anamnesis, physical examination and simple tests of blood and urine. If this basic investigation can be extended, the incidence of stenosis of the renal artery should be examined in the first place. Hypertension in young patients and in patients who are difficult to treat often justifies a more extensive investigation.
These results show that tinnitus is relatively common among pilots and can create problems with sensitivity to noise. The frequency of tinnitus is most closely related to age, gender, exposure to high impulse noise during leisure time, and hearing impairment.
The aim was to study hearing impairment in commercial pilots. A total of 634 male and 30 female pilots (N=664) in a Swedish airline company underwent repeated audiological tests during the period 1974-2005. The last test was used to study hearing impairment. The mean values for the hearing test at 3, 4, and 6 kHz were used for the ear with worse hearing impairment. Data was compared with a general adult Swedish population (n=603) not occupationally exposed to noise. Equivalent noise levels gate to gate (Leq) were measured in the cockpit of different aircraft. Leq was 75-81 dB (A), peak exposures were 105 dB (A) from the cabin call signal. Median values were similar as in the reference group at all ages. There was no association between years of employment, tobacco smoking, and hearing impairment, when adjusted for age and gender by multiple logistic regressions analysis. In conclusion, pilots are exposed to equivalent noise levels below the current Swedish occupational standard of 85 dB (A), with short peak exposures above the standard, and have normal age-matched hearing thresholds.
Insomnia and some digestive symptoms were more common among pilots than office workers. In addition to insomnia, BMI, smoking, female gender, and milk consumption were associated with some digestive symptoms. The strong association between insomnia and digestive symptoms among pilots, but not among office workers, suggests a stress component related to this occupation.
Cabin crew are exposed to equivalent noise levels below the current Swedish occupational standard, and have normal age-matched hearing threshold levels.
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