Hypertension: a survey of 7000 Air France employees.

During a period of one year, 6,863 employees underwent routine medical check-ups: 3,223 ground staff, 3,129 cabin staff, and 511 cockpit crew. One hundred and fifty permanent hypertensives were recorded and their status and evolution analysed in a survey. For every patient data were collected on illness, treatment, heredity, aetiology, risk factors, type of work and life style. The 150 patients surveyed were divided into four groups: (A) 70 satisfactorily treated hypertensives (57 men, 13 women); (B) 31 unsatisfactorily treated hypertensives (24 men, 7 women); (C) 33 neglected hypertensives (31 men, 2 women); and (D) 16 newly discovered hypertensives (14 men, 2 women). The incidence of hypertension was higher in ground staff (3.9%) than in cockpit crew (1.76%) and very low in cabin staff (0.41%). The neglected and unsatisfactorily treated hypertensives showed a clear improvement in their blood pressure through ongoing surveillance. In conclusion, while the incidence of hypertension in the population surveyed is quite low, this study shows a significantly lower rate in cabin staff and a large proportion of neglected and unsatisfactorily treated hypertension. It also shows how an occupational medical practitioner with no power of prescription can be effective in detecting the disease and referring the employee to his general practitioner, with a view towards achieving better collaboration.