Coronary heart disease risk factors in urban bus drivers

The purpose of this study was to determine the risk factors for coronary he art disease (CHD) in 2297 bus drivers and skilled workers from the Taipei M unicipal Bus Administrative Bureau. Data for this study were compiled from the medical records of annual physical examinations for bus drivers and ski lled workers conducted at Taipei Municipal Chronic Disease Hospital during the period from July 1998 to June 1999. The results showed that, after adju stment for age, hypertension rates for bus drivers (56.0%, 986/1361) were s ignificantly greater than for skilled workers (30.6%, 164/536). All age gro ups demonstrated a similar difference. Significant differences were also no ted in body mass index, serum cholesterol, serum triglyceride and ischemic heart disease between bus drivers and skilled workers. Among bus drivers, t he prevalence of obesity was 9.6%, hypercholesterolemia 34.0%, hypertriglyc eridemia 69.4% and ischemic heart disease 1.7%. By contrast, among skilled workers, the prevalence of obesity was only 4.6%, hypercholesterolemia 29.9 %, hypertriglyceridemia 30.6% and ischemic heart disease 0.9%. These findin gs suggest that exposure to the occupation of driving a bus may carry an in creased risk of CHD and that drivers who develop signs of cardiovascular il lness should be transferred to non-driving occupations within the company.