Biomaterial Database

[Medical problems among airline passengers]. 1998

J O Owe, and C C Christensen

Flymedisinsk institutt, Oslo.

Worldwide, there are more than one billion air travelers each year. Flying in a modern jet airliner is a safe, efficient and relatively comfortable mode of transport, although a few susceptible passengers may be adversely affected by environmental and physiological stresses like pressure change, reduced level of oxygen, dry air, immobility due to cramped seating, noise, vibration and turbulence, in addition to stressful airports. This article describes these factors and their medical implications and includes some practical medical advice to travellers. Reported inflight illness and injuries in two major Scandinavian airlines 1993-97 are presented.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D008171	Lung Diseases	Pathological processes involving any part of the LUNG.	Pulmonary Diseases,Disease, Pulmonary,Diseases, Pulmonary,Pulmonary Disease,Disease, Lung,Diseases, Lung,Lung Disease
D009624	Noise, Transportation	Noise associated with transportation, particularly aircraft and automobiles.	Noises, Transportation,Transportation Noise,Transportation Noises
D011312	Pressure	A type of stress exerted uniformly in all directions. Its measure is the force exerted per unit area. (McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms, 6th ed)	Pressures
D002318	Cardiovascular Diseases	Pathological conditions involving the CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM including the HEART; the BLOOD VESSELS; or the PERICARDIUM.	Adverse Cardiac Event,Cardiac Events,Major Adverse Cardiac Events,Adverse Cardiac Events,Cardiac Event,Cardiac Event, Adverse,Cardiac Events, Adverse,Cardiovascular Disease,Disease, Cardiovascular,Event, Cardiac
D003681	Dehydration	The condition that results from excessive loss of water from a living organism.	Water Stress,Stress, Water
D004781	Environmental Exposure	The exposure to potentially harmful chemical, physical, or biological agents in the environment or to environmental factors that may include ionizing radiation, pathogenic organisms, or toxic chemicals.	Exposure, Environmental,Environmental Exposures,Exposures, Environmental
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D006813	Humidity	A measure of the amount of WATER VAPOR in the air.	Humidities
D000337	Aerospace Medicine	That branch of medicine dealing with the studies and effects of flight through the atmosphere or in space upon the human body and with the prevention or cure of physiological or psychological malfunctions arising from these effects. (from NASA Thesaurus)	Aviation Medicine,Space Medicine,Medicine, Aerospace,Medicine, Aviation,Medicine, Space
D000401	Aircraft	A weight-carrying structure for navigation of the air that is supported either by its own buoyancy or by the dynamic action of the air against its surfaces. (Webster, 1973)	Ejection Seats,Helicopters,Airplanes,Airplane,Ejection Seat,Helicopter,Seat, Ejection,Seats, Ejection