Lipid Profile of Firefighters over Time: Opportunities for Prevention

Details

• Personal Author:
  Christiani, David C. ; Christoudias SG ; Kales SN ; Liarokapis D ; Soteriades ES ; Tucker SA
• Description:
  Heart disease is the primary cause of on-duty deaths in firefighters, but little is known about their lipid profile. We evaluated the lipid profile in relation to other cardiovascular disease risk factors in 321 firefighters at a baseline examination. Prospective comparisons were performed for 285 firefighters, who were enrolled in a statewide medical surveillance program, and had complete follow-up data for 4 years. The average cholesterol level in firefighters declined from 224 mg/dL at baseline (1996-1997) to 214 mg/dL at the follow-up examination (P < 0.0001). Conversely, both obesity (body mass index > or = 30; 34% versus 40%, P = 0.008) and triglycerides (> or = 200 mg/dL; 27% versus 35%, P = 0.047) increased over time. The proportion of firefighters taking lipid-lowering medications increased from 3% at baseline to 12% at follow-up (P < 0.0001). Cholesterol levels declined significantly, and treatment rates for elevated cholesterol increased over time. Despite repeated examinations, a considerable number of firefighters had persistently elevated cholesterol, and only a minority were receiving adequate treatment. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cardiovascular Diseases Cardiovascular System Case Reports Demography Emergencies Emergency Responders Firefighters Mortality Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety Sex Characteristics

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• Keywords:
  Cardiovascular-disease Cardiovascular-system-disease Cardiovascular-system-disorders Case-studies Demographic-characteristics Disease-prevention Diseases Emergency-responders Emergency-response Fire-fighters Fire-fighting Heart Hypertension Mathematical-models Models Mortality-data Mortality-rates Occupational-diseases Occupational-hazards Occupational-health Sex-factors Surveillance-programs

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• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• 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:
  44
• Issue:
  9
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20029589
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2002 Sep; 44(9):840-846
• Contact Point Address:
  Stefanos N. Kales, MD, MPH, Cambridge Hospital, Department of Medicine, Occupational and Environmental Health, 1493 Cambridge Street, Cambridge, MA 02139
• Email:
  stefokali@aol.com
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2002
• NORA Priority Area:
  Research Tools and Approaches: Health Services Research
• Performing Organization:
  Harvard University, Department of Environmental Health, Boston, Massachusetts
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  19980930
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20020929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:a1ff1dad871cad3b1691425693343d79d86b3320fafc1337e3f1d36cf372e89f57f71274fa912a03e1df37ff00b0e9ba01d833a7dd2865e52981a585d40c5160
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/190538/cdc_190538_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 646.03 KB ]