Medical Suspension in Female Army Rotary-Wing Aviators

Area of Science:

• Aviation Medicine
• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Female aviators face unique health challenges impacting flight status.
• Occupational consequences range from temporary waivers to permanent flight suspension.
• Understanding prevalent diagnoses is crucial for aviation health management.

Purpose of the Study:

• Determine the prevalence of medical diagnoses in female U.S. Army aviators over a decade.
• Identify clinical diagnoses associated with flight waivers or permanent suspension.
• Analyze the relationship between age and diagnosis in this population.

Main Methods:

• Secondary data analysis of 1,282 female aviators from an Army Aviation epidemiological database (2005-2015).
• Examined raw ICD-9 codes, grouped system diagnoses, and occupational consequences.
• Used Spearman's rho correlations to assess associations between diagnoses and occupational outcomes.

Main Results:

• Leading diagnoses included pregnancy, normal delivery, and allergic rhinitis.
• Spinal, psychiatric, and neurological disorders were leading causes for waivers.
• Depression, migraine, and PTSD were primary reasons for permanent flight suspension.
• Age was positively correlated with diagnosis but not generally with permanent suspension.

Conclusions:

• Specific health conditions disproportionately affect female aviators' occupational status.
• Prevalent diagnoses differ from those in historical, male-dominated aviator populations.
• A minority of diagnoses account for a significant occupational burden in female aviators.