[Age factors and flight duration in chronic diseases]

Health disqualification is the main reason for stopping flying activity. The age limitations of flying activity have been not established. Nevertheless, the development of diseases and motivated continuation of flying activity are severely age-dependent. The cases of chronic diseases have been reported throughout the all flying careers of 1,433 pilots and navigators and disqualifying for flying activity for the health condition upon routine medical screening. The flying activity duration after a disease occurrence was found to be of bimodal distribution. The first peak coincides with the moment of an initially diagnosed illness, the second-delayed peak in elder individuals approximates the first one. Thus, in the persons in whom a chronic disease was initially diagnosed when they were twenty years old, this diagnosis was confirmed in 18-20 years and in 2-4 years in the persons in whom a disease was diagnos ++ when they were 35 years old. Thus, there are two factors greatly affecting the disqualification--a disease and age. Both these factors are closely interrelated.