AMBULATORY BLOOD-PRESSURE IN AIR-TRAFFIC-CONTROLLERS

Conflicting reports exist as to whether air traffic cent-rollers (ATC) have an increase in blood pressure (BP) and prevalence of hypertensio n because of the stressful nature of their job. We have addressed the issue in male ATC working at the Linate airport of Milan. A total of 8 0 ATC participated, and the 24 h blood pressure monitoring was obtaine d during two working shifts separated by one night Of rest. Blood pres sure was measured conventionally and by 24 h ambulatory monitoring; da ta were compared with those of an age matched male sample three times as large, selected from the data of the Studio delle Pressioni Ambulat oriali delle Lore Associazioni (PAMELA), ie, a large sample representa tive of the population of the nearby town of Monza. Treated hypertensi ve subjects were excluded from both groups. Conventional diastolic BP and heart rate were similar in ATC and controls, whereas conventional systolic BP was significantly greater in the former than in the latter group. No difference, however, was seen between ATC and controls as f ar as ambulatory BP and heart rate were concerned; namely, 24 h, day, and night average systolic BP, and diastolic BP and heart rate were si milar in the two groups. Thus daily life BP is not increased in ATC. T his may result from the fact that, being a highly selected group with suitable training, these subjects adequately cope with the stress inhe rent to the job. (C) 1998 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.