Cardiovascular Events Often Preceded by Physical Activity
Firefighters who died of a heart attack or stroke in the line of duty were often physically exerting themselves before the attack, according to a study that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 66th Annual Meeting in Philadelphia, April 26 to May 3, 2014.
For the study, the researchers from the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute in St. Cloud, Minnesota examined data from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health on deaths between 1998 and 2012 that occurred while firefighters were on duty. During this period, there were 199 fatal cardiovascular events. Of those, 167 were heart attacks, 12 were from irregular heartbeat, three were from stroke, with the rest from other cardiovascular causes.
A total of 148 of the events, nearly 75 percent, occurred after vigorous activity lasting an average of 33 minutes. The firefighters who died were an average of 49 years old and had served an average of 22 years as firefighters. 88 of the firefighters were actively engaged in fighting a fire at the time of the cardiovascular event. Of the 148 firefighters who were engaged in vigorous physical activity at the time of the event, 94 had high cholesterol, 93 had high blood pressure, 42 were smokers, 22 had diabetes and 46 had family members with heart disease.
Of the 51 firefighters who were engaged in light to moderate physical activity at the time of the event, 38 had high blood pressure, 34 had high cholesterol, 20 were smokers, seven had diabetes and 11 had family members with heart disease.
"Knowing that these fatal heart attacks and other vascular events occur relatively frequently, fire departments and other workplaces need to be prepared to recognize these events and screen for those who may be at higher risk," said study author Amna Zarar from the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute in St. Cloud.
Univadis
