[Estimating the morbidity profile amongst Colombian civil aviation personnel]

Describing main morbidity rate amongst Colombian civil aviation cockpit and air traffic control personnel.

This was a cross-sectional study. A random sample of 1,059 records (pilots, flight attendants, air traffic controllers) was taken from Colombian aeronautical authority files. Identification, background, morbidity and limitation data was reviewed for each one.

68,2 % of the records concerned males. Average age was 37. 22,9 % of the sample had some medical antecedent recorded on their first certification. Alcohol consumption (occasional) was recorded for 17,1 % of the sample and 11,9 % were smokers. The main diagnoses made were: vision disorders (52,2 %), dyslipidemias (40,6 %), being overweight (37,5 %), having hearing loss (22,0 %), being healthy (14,0 %) and suffering from hypertension (8,1 %). Each group had the same diagnoses, but occurring in a different order.

Others studies have found cardiovascular disease to be the main cause of morbidity amongst cockpit and air traffic control personnel. Vision disorders were the main disorder occurring in Colombia. We do not know if there is a predisposition amongst Colombians to suffer such morbidity. Cardiovascular risk factors were found in second place in Colombia, meaning that public health prevention and promotion countermeasures should be taken.