Predictors of On-Duty Coronary Events in Male Firefighters in the United States

Details

• Personal Author:
  Burress JW ; Geibe JR ; Holder J ; Kales SN ; Kinney AM ; Peeples L
• Description:
  Coronary heart disease (CHD) accounts for 39% of "on-duty" deaths in firefighters in the United States. No studies have examined the factors that distinguish fatal from nonfatal work-associated CHD events. Male firefighters experiencing on-duty CHD events were retrospectively investigated to identify cardiovascular risk factors predictive of case fatality; 87 fatalities (death within 24 hours of the event) were compared with 113 survivors who retired with disability pensions for heart disease after on-duty nonfatal events. Cardiovascular risk factors were then examined for associations with case fatality. Predictors of CHD death in multivariate analyses were a previous diagnosis of CHD (or peripheral/cerebrovascular disease) (odds ratio [OR] 4.09, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 1.58 to 10.58), current smoking (OR 3.68, 95% CI 1.61 to 8.45), and hypertension (OR 4.15, 95% CI 1.83 to 9.44). Age < or =45 years, diabetes mellitus, and serum cholesterol level were not significant predictors of case fatality. In conclusion, previous CHD, current smoking, and hypertension are strong predictors of fatality in male firefighters experiencing on-duty CHD events. Accordingly, prevention efforts should include early detection and control of hypertension, smoking cessation/prohibition, and the restriction of most firefighters with significant CHD from strenuous duties. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Firefighters Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety
• Keywords:
  Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-function Cardiovascular-system Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Heart Physical-exercise Physical-stress Physiological-factors Physiological-response Physiological-stress Risk-analysis Risk-factors

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• ISSN:
  0002-9149
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Massachusetts ; OSHA Region 1
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  101
• Issue:
  5
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20033673
• Citation:
  Am J Cardiol 2008 Mar; 101(5):585-589
• Contact Point Address:
  Stefanos N. Kales, The Cambridge Health Alliance, Department of Environmental Health (Environmental & Occupational Medicine & Epidemiology), Harvard School of Public Health, 665 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115
• Email:
  skales@challiance.org
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2008
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard School of Public Health
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  The American Journal of Cardiology
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:b9c6ea4f3627c1bf3aa1c33caad2141dcb357b9dad8b03c46a15cd2d5fa1f84bf81c4cbba014bf19c84a69c1261bc51108e5874cc2155864e34c24975be39149
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/189153/cdc_189153_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 111.01 KB ]