CARDIOVASCULAR-DISEASE MORBIDITY IN AN IOWA LAW-ENFORCEMENT COHORT, COMPARED WITH THE GENERAL IOWA POPULATION

It remains uncertain if law enforcement officers experience an elevate d cardiovascular disease morbidity and, if so, whether their professio n contributes to this incidence. Consequently, the self-reported incid ence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) (coronary heart disease, myocardi al infarction, stroke, coronary artery, bypass graft surgery, angiopla sty) and CVD risk factors (age, diabetes, elevated body mass inner (gr eater than or equal to 27.8 kg.m(-2)), hypercholesterolemia, hypertens ion, tobacco use) in. 232 male retirees, greater than or equal to 55 y ears of age, from the Iowa Department of Public Safety were compared w ith 817 male Iowans of similar age. CVD incidence was higher in the la w enforcement officers than the general population (31.5% vs 18.4%, P < 0.001). Using multiple logistic regression, factors found to be asso ciated with CVD included the law enforcement profession (odds ratio [O R] = 2.34/95 % confidence interval [95% CI] = 1.5-3.6), hypercholester olemia (OR = 2.37; 95% CI = 1.7-3.3), diabetes (OR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1. 4-3.6), hypertension (OR 1.79; 95% CI = 1.3-2.5), tobacco use (OR = 1. 67; 95% CI = 1.07-2.6), and age (OR = 1.06; 95% CI = 1.03-1.08). These results suggest that employment as a law enforcement officer is assoc iated with an. increased cardiovascular disease morbidity and this rel ationship persists after considering several conventional risk factors .