ABSTRACT
Subjects of the longitudinal study (1974-1996) were about 300 pilots who participated in international transmeridian flights. Arterial hypertension (AH) diagnosed in 29 pilots was the main cause for their disqualification. They made up 16.8% of the total number of medically disqualified persons. The flight surgeon of the corps consulted 26 pilots with elevated arterial pressure (AP) or 8.8% of the corps roll. Clinical examination revealed the "white coat" hypertension in five pilots (1.7% of the corps roll). Percentage of pilots disbarred in the course of preflight physical check for the reason of high AP amounted to 32.7; hence, elevated AP was the most frequent cause for disbarring. The circannual distribution of elevated AP measured during the preflight medical check correlates with the challenges of either making the transmeridian flights in cold seasons due to the contrast of the climatogeographical zones or more tense flight schedule in summer. The greatest concern arise pilots whose AP was found normal during the preflight check but who were later on disqualified with the diagnosis of the 2nd degree hypertension as representatives of this cohort were documented to suffer myocardial infarction and acute disturbance of the cerebral circulation in the rest periods.
