Analysis on the disease specturum of 1260 hospitalized military pilots

Objective To investigate the disease spectrum of military pilots in order to present reference to the medical support. Methods Data of 1260 hospitalized pilots in past 10 years were collected and the age distribution,disease category,aircraft type and flying hours were statistically analyzed.The diseases characteristics of high performance fighter pilots and conventional fighter pilots were compared. Results The top three disease categories of the hospitalized high performance fighter pilots were the musculoskeletal system,neural system and urinogenital system,main disease included urinary calculi,joint soft tissue injury,neurasthenia,prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc,migraine,aviation disease and metabolic abnormality,compared to the musculoskeletal system,digestive system and neural system in other hospitalized flying personnel.In high perfornance fighter pilots the incidences of urinary calculi and neurasthenia were significantly higher than those of conventional fighter pilots(x2 =26.28、5.23,P＜0.05 or 0.01).Older pilots showed higher incidence on prolapse of lumbar intervertebral disc and aviation disease while migraine was more common in the pilots of younger age and shorter flying hours. Conclusion The disease spectrum of military pilots has changed in recent 10 years.The common diseases of high performance fighter pilots are closely related with their flight and life style.The necessary instruction and intervention are suggested. Key words: Eligibility determination;  Physical examination;  Personnel selection;  Prevalence