Title: Firefighters' blood pressure and employment status on hazardous materials teams in Massachusetts: a prospective study.

Authors: Kales, Stefanos N; Soteriades, Elpidoforos S; Christoudias, Stavros G; Tucker, Scott A; Nicolaou, Michael; Christiani, David C

Published In J Occup Environ Med, (2002 Jul)

Abstract: We evaluated the association between hypertension and changes in employment status in 334 hazardous materials firefighters. Firefighters were categorized by blood pressure (BP) at baseline (1996 or 1997) and subsequent follow-up examinations (1997, 1998, and 1999). They were followed up for a maximum of 4 years for possible adverse outcomes (death, placement on "injured-on-duty" status, termination of duty, resignation, retirement, or incident cardiovascular disease). In several analytic models, we found that firefighters with stage II hypertension (BP > or = 160/100 mm Hg) were consistently 2 to 3 times more likely to experience an adverse outcome compared with those with normal BP. Cox proportional-hazards regression was used to adjust for age, body mass index, smoking, cholesterol, and antihypertensive medication. In these models, the hazard ratio for stage II hypertension was 3.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.50 to 7.04, P = 0.003) and for untreated stage II hypertension, it was 4.6 (95% CI, 2.08 to 10.11, P = 0.0002). Firefighters with a BP > or = 160/100 mm Hg should receive further evaluation and demonstrate improved BP control before being determined fit for duty.

PubMed ID: 12134531

MeSH Terms: No MeSH terms associated with this publication