Cardiac status and cardiovascular risk factors among Finnish sea pilots

Sea pilots have been reported to form an occupational population with high risk for coronary artery diseases. In the present study the cardiovascular risk factors were studied by laboratory and bicycle-exercise tests among 135 Finnish sea pilots above 45 years of age. The most common risk factors were: elevated blood cholesterol, low physical activity and elevated blood pressure. Most sea pilots had 2-3 separate risk factors, only three of them did not have any risk factor for coronary disease, one had as many as eight. Abnormal bicycle-exercise ECG-findings were seen in 15 pilots, four of them with suspected coronary artery disease. There were no differences in laboratory results between those with normal or abnormal exercise-ECG-findings. Sea pilots had lower blood pressure, cholesterol and HDL-cholesterol values than the male population on shore. The prevalence of risk factors among sea pilots was compared with data on risk factors among the Finnish male population of the same age group, published recently.