Health Assessment and Disorders of External Respiration Function among Physicians

Authors: A. G. Margaryan

Abstract:

Aims and Objectives: Assessment of health status and detection disorders of external respiration functions (ERF) during preventative medical examination among physicians of Armenia. Subjects and Methods: Overall, fifty-nine physicians (17 men and 42 women) were examined and spirometry was carried out. The average age of the physicians was 50 years old. The studies were conducted on the Micromedical MicroLab 3500 Spirometer. Results: 25.4% among 59 examined physicians are overweight; 22.0% of them suffer from obesity. Two physicians are currently smokers. About half of the examined physicians (50.8%) at the time of examination were diagnosed with some diseases and had different health-related problems (excluding the problems related to vision and hearing). FVC was 2.94±0.1, FEV1 – 2.64±0.1, PEF – 329.7±19.9, and FEV₁%/FVC – 89.7±1.3. Pathological changes of ERF are identified in 23 (39.0%) cases. 28.8% of physicians had first degree of restrictive disorders, 3.4% – first degree of combined obstructive/ restrictive disorders, 6.8% – second degree of combined obstructive/ restrictive disorders. Only three physicians with disorders of the ERF were diagnosed with chronic bronchitis and bronchial asthma. There were no statistically significant changes in ERF depending on the severity of obesity (P> 0.05). Conclusion: The study showed the prevalence of ERF among physicians, observing mainly mild and moderate changes in ERF parameters.

Keywords: Armenia, external respiration function, health status, physicians.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1126413

References:

[1] A. A. Belov, N. A. Lakshina, ''Assesment of External Respiration Function'', Moskow, 2002, 67 P. (in Russian).
[2] A. G. Margaryan, ''Health and Well-Being of Armenian Physicians',' The New Armenian Medical Journal, 2011, Vol.5, №3, pp.37-40.
[3] B. Conway, A.Rene, ''Obesety as a Disease: no Lighweight Matter,'' Obes. Rev. 2004. 5, pp. 145-151.
[4] D. Canoy, R. Luben, A. Welch, S. Bingham, N. Wareham, N. Day, K. Khaw, ''Abdominal Obesity and Respiratory Function in Men and Women in the EPIC-Norfolk Study, United Kingdom'', Am. J. Epidemiol. 2004. Jun. 15. 159 (12), pp.1140-1149.
[5] E Frank, D.J Brogan, A. H. Mokdad, E. J. Simoes, H. S. Kahn, R. S Greenberg., ''Health-Related Behaviors of Women Physicians vs Other Women in the United States'', Arch Intern Med 1998; 158, pp. 342-348.
[6] E. Frank, ''Physician Health and Patient Care'', JAMA 2004; 291:637.
[7] E. Pekkarinen, E.Vanninen, E. Länsimies, J. Kokkarinen, K. Timonen, ''Relation Between Body Composition, Abdominal Obesity, and Lung Function'', Clin. Physiol. Funct. Imaging. 2012 Mar. 32 (2), pp. 83-88.
[8] J. Mackay, M. Eriksen, ''The Tobacco Atlas 2002'' (http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2002/924/562099.pdf). World Health Organization Table A. P.92.
[9] J. Wanger, ''Pulmonary Function Testing: a Practical Approach'', 1st ed. Baltimore: Williams & Wilkins, 1992.
[10] Jenny Firth-Cozens, ''Improving the Health of Psychiatrics'', Advances in Psychiatric Treatment 2007; Vol. 13; pp.161-168.
[11] M. Bazargan, M. Makar, ''Preventive, Lifestyle and Personal Health Behaviors among Physicians'', Academic psychiatry, 33:4, July-August 2009, pp. 289-295.
[12] National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia (NSS): Statistical Yearbook of Armenia Public Health, 2015 (http://www.armstat.am/file/doc/99493623.pdf).
[13] National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia (NSS): Statistical Yearbook of Armenia, Employment, 2015 (http://www.armstat.am/file/doc/99493603.pdf)
[14] National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia (NSS): Statistical Yearbook of Armenia, Population, 2015 (http://www.armstat.am/file/doc/99493598.pdf).
[15] P. C. Perrin, R. M. Merrill, G. B. Lindsay, ''Patterns of Smoking Behavior among Physicians in Yerevan, Armenia'', BMC Public Health 2006, 6:139.
[16] S. K. Hull, L. F. DiLalla, J. K. Dorsey, ''Prevalence of Health-Related Behaviors among Physicians and Medical Trainees'', Acad psychiatry 2008; 32, pp. 31-38.
[17] V. A. Boykov, O. S. Kobyakova, I. A. Deyev, Ye. S. Kulikov, Ye. A. Starovoytova, ''State of Respiratory Funcion in Patients with Obesity'', Bulletin of Siberian Medicine, 2013, vol. 12, 1, pp. 86-92.
[18] Y. Saxena, G. Sidhwani, R. Upmanyu, ''Abdominal Obesity and Pulmonary Functions in Young Indian Adults: a Prospective Study'', Indian J. Physiol. Pharmacol. 2009. Oct-Dec. 53 (4), pp. 318-326.