Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical University of Warsaw, 02-015 Warsaw, Poland.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 17;18(4):1929. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18041929.
Epidemiological observations indicate that stewardesses are exposed to reproductive and endocrine system disturbances. The aim of the study was to assess of thyroid function disturbances as well as to identify factors affecting the thyroid function among stewardesses working both within one time zone and on long-distance flights.
The cross-sectional study covered 103 women aged 23-46. The study group (I) was divided into two subgroups: group Ia comprising stewardesses flying within one flight zone and group Ib stewardesses working on long-distance flights. The control group (II) were women of reproductive age who sought medical assistance due to marital infertility in whom the male factor was found to be responsible for problems with conception in the course of the diagnostic process. The assessment included: age, BMI, menstrual cycle regularity, length of work, frequency of flying, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) concentration, level of free thyroxine (fT4), antibodies to thyroglobulin (aTG) and to thyroperoxidase (aTPO), prolactin concentration, sex hormone binding globulin (SHGB) concentration, total cholesterol, and low density lipoprotein (LDL) fraction. Descriptive methods and inferential statistics methods were used to compile the data.
The difference between the concentrations of TSH in the study group (2.59 mcIU/mL) and the control group (1.52 mcIU/mL) was statistically significant ( < 0.01). An elevated titer of thyroid antibodies (aTPO and/or aTG) was revealed in 46.3% of stewardesses and in 15.1% of patients from the control group ( < 0.001). Groups Ia and Ib in individual concentrations were not statistically significant. The frequency of occurrence of an elevated titer of thyroid antibodies depended on the length of work in the study group ( > 0.05). No statistically significant difference was found in patients spending up to 60 h a month flying and in patients spending more than 60 h flying, the percentage of the occurrence of thyroid antibodies was 50% and 43.5, respectively.
The occurrence in stewardesses of a higher TSH concentration than in the control group can signify that stewardesses are burdened with a higher risk of the development of hypothyroidism in the future. The character of the work of stewardesses (frequency of flying as well as length of work) does not affect the immunological profile of the thyroid.
流行病学观察表明，空姐容易受到生殖和内分泌系统紊乱的影响。本研究的目的是评估甲状腺功能紊乱，并确定影响在同一时区和长途飞行中工作的空姐甲状腺功能的因素。
本横断面研究共纳入 103 名 23-46 岁的女性。研究组（I）分为两组：组 Ia 包括在同一飞行区内飞行的空姐，组 Ib 包括在长途航班上工作的空姐。对照组（II）为因婚姻不孕而寻求医疗帮助的育龄妇女，在诊断过程中发现男性因素是导致受孕困难的原因。评估包括：年龄、BMI、月经周期规律、工作年限、飞行频率、促甲状腺激素（TSH）浓度、游离甲状腺素（fT4）水平、甲状腺球蛋白抗体（aTG）和甲状腺过氧化物酶抗体（aTPO）、催乳素浓度、性激素结合球蛋白（SHBG）浓度、总胆固醇和低密度脂蛋白（LDL）分数。使用描述性方法和推断性统计方法来汇编数据。
研究组（2.59 mcIU/mL）和对照组（1.52 mcIU/mL）的 TSH 浓度之间存在统计学差异（<0.01）。在 46.3%的空姐和 15.1%的对照组患者中发现甲状腺抗体（aTPO 和/或 aTG）滴度升高（<0.001）。组 Ia 和 Ib 的浓度在个体浓度上没有统计学意义。研究组中甲状腺抗体滴度升高的发生率取决于工作年限（>0.05）。在每月飞行时间不超过 60 小时和飞行时间超过 60 小时的患者中，未发现统计学差异，甲状腺抗体的发生率分别为 50%和 43.5%。
与对照组相比，空姐 TSH 浓度升高可能表明空姐未来患甲状腺功能减退症的风险更高。空姐的工作性质（飞行频率和工作年限）不会影响甲状腺的免疫特征。
