Background:
Recent studies in police officers and firefighters have shown that physically taxing and psychologically stressful occupations may increase death from coronary artery disease (CAD). The aim of this study was to determine if there is an increased prevalence of CAD among members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD).
Methods:
A total of 2,068 NYPD police officers and detectives underwent electron beam computed tomography for quantitation of coronary artery calcium (CAC) using the Agatston scoring method. The CAC score is known to correlate with the extent and severity of CAD and is predictive of adverse cardiovascular events. The CAC scores were compared with a gender- and age-specific database developed by Hoff et al (also known as the Kondos database). Patients with CAC scores > 400 and those whose scores fall within the upper quartile for gender and age are generally considered to be at increased risk of adverse events.
Results:
Participants’ mean age was 42 ± 6 years and 86% were male. More than 50% of males < 65 and females < 60 years of age had scores below the 50
th
percentile for their age group (Tables
). A subset of 75 individuals (mean age 41 ± 6; 88% male) with known early exposure to the World Trade Center (WTC) collapse were evaluated; they did not have increased CAC scores (data not shown).
Conclusion:
There is not an increased prevalence of CAD among members of the NYPD compared to the general population as assessed with CAC quantitation. Early exposure to the WTC collapse does not appear to increase the risk of premature CAD at five years.
A Comparison of Coronary Artery Disease (Arteriosclerotic Heart Disease) Deaths in Health Areas of Manhattan, New York City