Age Peculiarities in the Disease Structure of Cosmonauts after Finishing Their Flight Activity
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1
Federal Research and Clinical Center, Federal Medical-Biological Agency, Russia
Introduction. The reliability and safety of manned space programs are provided not only via the perfection of technical and control systems, but also via the perfection of medical health care and improved working capacity of space crews which implies questions of their prolonged professional life. The latter system is aimed to protect and maintain cosmonauts health and working capacity at all stages of their professional activity.
Purpose. To find out age-specific features in the morbidity structure of cosmonauts who have finished their flight activity.
Materials and methods. An in-depth survey of 26 cosmonauts aged 50-88 who took part in space flights and by now have finished their flight activity has been performed. The cosmonauts were divided into 3 age groups: Group A - second adult age, up to 60 years ( n =8 ); Group B - elderly age from 61 to 74 ( n = 9 ); Group C - old age from 75 to 90 (n = 9).
Clinical diagnoses were coded according to the International Classification of Diseases, revision 10. The structure of disease incidence in cosmonauts is presented in percentage of the total number of examined cosmonauts.
Results. In Group A, all the subjects had diseases of their digestive system and diseases of their urogenital system. Then, by prevalence, diseases of the musculoskeletal system, endocrine system, and eye diseases followed. Pathologies in the circulatory and respiratory systems were diagnosed in 75% of the examined.
Diseases of the circulatory system which affect 100% of the examined individuals occupy the first place in the disease prevalence both in Group B and in Group C. Diseases of the digestive system were also revealed in all examined subjects in Group B. 89% of the cosmonauts complained of problems with their urogenital system. Diseases of the musculoskeletal system and eye diseases were found in 78%. Diseases of the respiratory system and ear diseases in this group are twice lower than in group A and yield 44% and 33%, respectively. In addition to the above-mentioned differences, researchers registered neoplastic pathology in Group B.
All cosmonauts in Group C have diseases of their circulatory system, digestive system, and endocrine system. Diseases of the respiratory system and urogenital system were diagnosed in 78% of the examined. All cosmonauts in this group had surgical interventions what explains decreased incidence of eye and urogenital diseases in this age group.
Conclusions
1. Currently, 100% morbidity of the digestive system in all three investigated groups of cosmonauts is difficult to explain. Probably, it is due to the involvement of many factors and systems of the body into the pathogenesis of this group of diseases.
2. The lower percentage of circulatory system diseases in group A is associated with initially better health state in the cosmonauts. This effect is neutralized in older cosmonauts from Groups B and C.
3. If to follow the trend from younger Group A to older Group C, one can see a regular tendency in increasing the number of nosologies in every cosmonaut including neoplasms and surgical interventions.
Keywords:
Disease,
Activity - individual,
cosmonauts,
Peculiarities,
Morbidity
Conference:
39th ISGP Meeting & ESA Life Sciences Meeting, Noordwijk, Netherlands, 18 Jun - 22 Jun, 2018.
Presentation Type:
Extended abstract
Topic:
Astronaut health
Citation:
Zakharov
S
(2019). Age Peculiarities in the Disease Structure of Cosmonauts after Finishing Their Flight Activity.
Front. Physiol.
Conference Abstract:
39th ISGP Meeting & ESA Life Sciences Meeting.
doi: 10.3389/conf.fphys.2018.26.00023
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Received:
02 Dec 2018;
Published Online:
16 Jan 2019.
*
Correspondence:
Dr. Serguei Zakharov, Federal Research and Clinical Center, Federal Medical-Biological Agency, Moscow, Russia, docsu@mail.ru