Stroke among male professional drivers in Denmark, 1994-2003.
OBJECTIVE
(1) To estimate the relative risk of stroke among various groups of professional drivers; (2) to determine if any excess risk should be attributed to infarction or haemorrhage; (3) to estimate the relative risk ratio for stroke among professional drivers living in Greater Copenhagen compared to those living outside the metropolis.


METHODS
A cohort of 6285 bus drivers, 4204 car, taxi, and van drivers, and 25,879 heavy truck and lorry drivers were followed up for hospital admission due to stroke and sub-diagnoses in the period 1994-2003. Using hospital admission for all economically active men as the standard, the standardised hospitalisation ratios (SHR) were calculated, taking age and county into consideration.


RESULTS
There was a high SHR for stroke among all groups of professional drivers (SHR = 132; 95% CI 121-141). Among car, taxi, and van drivers the SHR was 157 (95% CI 132-189), among bus drivers it was 139 (95% CI 119-163), and among heavy truck and lorry drivers it was 124 (95% CI 113-136). The excess risk for all groups of professional drivers was highest for cerebrovascular infarction (SHR = 139; 95% CI 124-155) and lowest for non-traumatic intracranial haemorrhage (SHR = 113; 95% CI 96-133). The excess risks for all groups were significantly higher for cerebrovascular infarction than for non-traumatic intracranial haemorrhage (relative risk ratio (RRR) 1.23; 95% CI 1.01-1.51). The RRR of stroke among drivers in the metropolitan area compared to rural areas was 1.13 (95% CI 0.94-1.36). The RRR for stroke among car, taxi, and van drivers compared to drivers of heavy trucks and of lorries was 1.28 (95% CI 1.03-1.57).


CONCLUSIONS
All groups of professional drivers are at increased risk of stroke. The excess risk is more due to cerebral infarctions than to non-traumatic intracranial haemorrhage. The risk of stroke is higher among drivers carrying passengers than among drivers carrying goods.
Tüchsen
F
F
Department of Surveillance and Epidemiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Copenhagen Ø, Denmarkk. ft@ami.dk
Hannerz
H
H
Roepstorff
C
C
Krause
N
N
D001334:Automobile Driving / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002543:Cerebral Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012423:Rural Health; D020521:Stroke / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014504:Urban Health