Hospitalisations among seafarers on merchant ships

Abstract

Aims: To study morbidity among active seafarers in the merchant navy in order to clarify possible work related morbidity and the morbidity related to work and lifestyle where possible preventive measures may be initiated. Methods: From a register in the Danish Maritime Authority a cohort of Danish merchant seafarers who had been actively employed at sea in 1995 was identified. For each seafarer, information on all employment periods at sea, charge aboard, and ship was available. The cohort was linked with the National In-patient Register in Denmark. Standardised hospitalisation ratios (SHRs) were calculated for all major diagnostic groups using all gainfully employed as reference. Results: Seafarers were shown to be inhomogeneous, with significant differences in SHRs for the same disease groups between different groups of seafarers depending on charge and ship type. SHRs for lifestyle related diseases were high, although rates for acute conditions, such as acute myocardial infarction, were low, probably due to referral bias, as acute conditions are likely to cause hospitalisation abroad, and thus are not included in the study. SHRs for injury and poisoning were high, especially for ratings and officers aboard small ships. Conclusion: Despite pre-employment selection, a large proportion of the seafarers constitute a group of workers with evidence of poor health probably caused by lifestyle. The subgroups with high risk of hospitalisation due to lifestyle related diseases also had an increased risk of hospitalisation due to injury and poisoning.

Non-cancer diseases requiring admission to hospital among German seafarers

“…In line with the findings from Hansen et al [3], however, this study demonstrated a decreased SHR for diseases of the musculoskeletal system among seamen (with the exception of fishermen).…”

“…Among Danish seafarers, even elevated cardiovascular mortality was found that was supposed to be mainly caused by their shipboard lifestyle [18]. The hospitalisation study by Hansen et al [3], however, also confirmed a lower SHR for acute myocardial infarction among seafarers in accordance with the present study results. These findings can be mainly interpreted as a healthy-worker effect due to the biennial medical fitness examinations in seafaring.…”

“…Particularly their risk for accidents at the workplace is increased compared to that of employees ashore [3]. The unique living and working situation of seafarers can also lead to emotional and physical exhaustion as well as to work-related diseases [4].…”

The metabolic syndrome among Danish seafarers

“…Hospitalisations due to chronic conditions that can be related to lifestyle are more frequent among seafarers than in the general population [11,12]. An increased cardiovascular mortality of Danish seafarers was demonstrated in 1996 [13] and again in a recent study, in which disease-related deaths -in particular from cardiovascular conditions -continue to represent the dominant mode of death in the maritime setting [14].…”

The metabolic syndrome among Danish seafarers: a follow-up study

“…Hospitalisations due to chronic conditions related to lifestyle are more frequent among seafarers than in the general population [15,16]. In particular, the increased rate of cardiovascular deaths of seafarers on board Danish vessels is worrying [17].…”