Morbidity rates among operational personnel of the Federal Fire Service of the EMERCOM of Russia based on periodic health examination results

The study objective is to analyze the morbidity medical indicators and statistics among operational personnel of the Federal Firefighting Service (FFS) of the EMERCOM of Russia from 2020 to 2024, with a focus on disease prevention measures. Methods . Periodic medical examinations were conducted in a total of 3,037 operational personnel holding special military ranks in the FFS of the EMERCOM of Russia and serving in fire and rescue units across St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region. The firefighters’ age ranged from 19 to 54 years (mean age of 34.3 ± 0.14 years), with their professional experience spanning from 6 months to 36 years (mean age of 10.5 ± 0.13 years). The subjects were split into categories by age (19–34 years vs. ≥ 35 years) and l professional experience (0–5 years; 6–14; ≥ 15 years). Morbidity rates were obtained from Form No. 025/u (Outpatient Medical Record) and the qMS ‘SPARM’ medical electronic system, used at the Nikiforov Russian Centre for Emergency and Radiation Medicine, the EMERCOM of Russia. Medical and statistical indicators were classified according to the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, 10th Revision (ICD-10). Morbidity rates were calculated per 1,000 firefighters (‰). Statistical analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 2007 and Statistica 12.0 software. Long-term average rates were calculated as the sum of absolute indicators over 5 years of observation. Average annual rates were calculated as arithmetic mean values and standard errors (M ± m) derived from annual rates. Results and discussion . Based on the health examination results, 36.6 % of firefighters were classified as Health Group I; 29.5 % as Health Group II; and 33.9 % as Health Group III. The long-term average morbidity rate was 2718.8 ‰, with an average of 2.7 somatic disease diagnoses per firefighter. A decrease in overall morbidity and somatic burden was observed over time. The most prevalent morbidity causes included: diseases of the digestive system (ICD-10 Chapter XI), musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (Chapter XIII), eye and adnexa (Chapter VIII), endocrine system, nutritional and metabolic diseases (Chapter IV), and circulatory system (Chapter IX). Diseases representing the five chapters cumulatively accounted for 77.6% of the total morbidity rate. While most diseases showed a declining trend, an ongoing rise in diseases musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (Chapter XIII) was noteworthy. The group ranking of the most prevalent disease chapters consistently mirrored the overall cohort across all age and work experience groups. However, the older age group and subjects with ≥6 year’s work experience showed higher rates for the most prevalent disease chapters, suggesting a significant strain on health functional reserves. For instance, diseases of the circulatory system (Chapter IX) were among the most prevalent in these cohorts. The younger age group and those with 0–5 years of professional experience revealed statistically significantly lower morbidity rates across most disease chapters, including the most prevalent ones, when compared to the older age group and those with ≥15 years of professional experience. Disease prevention and clinical monitoring in operational personnel of the FFS of the EMERCOM of Russia contributed to a morbidity reduction across 9 disease chapters, accounting for 77.4 % of the total morbidity structure over 5 years. Conversely, a rising trend was observed for 6 disease chapters, accounting for 22.6 % of the overall morbidity rate. Notably, diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (Chapter XIII) accounted for 17.5 % of the overall morbidity rate, demonstrating an upward trend. Conclusion . Our findings showed that changes in firefighter morbidity rates depended on the subject’s age, professional experience, and occupational hazards. The observed morbidity trends and rates observed for specific disease chapters could be extrapolated to all operational personnel of the FFS of the EMERCOM of Russia. However, to obtain more objective data, long-term studies on firefighter morbidity rates required.