8287693 Mortality rate of civil aviation pilots in Russiaт federation

<h3>Objective</h3> To assess the mortality rates of retired civil aviation pilots in comparison with the Russian male urban population. <h3>Material and Methods</h3> Mortality of 38016 civil aviation pilots retired from 1990 to 2018 was studied. Age-specific mortality rates for 5-year age groups calculated using pilots’ vital status data from Social Fund of Russia and mortality data for male Russian population for years 2019-2023. <h3>Results</h3> By the end of the observation period 6649 pilots died, while 31367 stayed alive. A total of 176500 person-years of observation were obtained. The average retirement age was 52,9±11,4 years. Pilots had a significantly lower risk of death from all causes compared to the urban male population – OR 0.80 (95%CI 0,78-0,81), i.e. the risk of death in male pilots was 20% lower compared to the urban male population. However, in the 55-59 age group the mortality rate for pilots was 1.3 times higher than in 45-49 age group, whereas in the population it was 0.9 times higher; in the 60-64 age group the mortality rate for pilots was 3.0 times higher, and the population – 1.8 times. Higher rates of increase of the mortality rate in pilots’ group can be traced in all age groups. <h3>Conclusion</h3> The lower risk of death in pilots could be explained by effective and high-quality professional selection and high levels of their socio-economic support, however, the age-related mortality rates in pilots are increasing at a faster rate, especially in retirement period due to the influence of occupational risk factors. Important evidence of the adverse impact of working conditions on pilots is increase of their mortality rate compared to the population of the Russia with increasing age, despite the fact that the start of a pilot career excludes any chronic diseases.