By KARLIE MOORE
Nearly 50 percent of firefighter line-of-duty deaths (LODDs) result from heart attacks. A great deal of scientific research clearly illustrates that these cardiovascular events do not happen at random. Indeed, the majority occur during very physically strenuous situations such as fire suppression. Further, almost all firefighters who experience these events possess one or more of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD).1 These risk factors are obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, high blood pressure (hypertension), and inactivity or low cardiorespiratory fitness. In terms of heart attacks, people are also at greater risk as they become older and if they had a parent experience a heart attack at a young age.2
Although risk for heart attacks among firefighters is dependent on many factors, the most compelling explanation for the high incidence of cardiovascular events is the extreme physical demand of firefighting coupled with the presence of CVD risk factors in those who experience these events. In addition, high temperatures present during fire suppression significantly increase physiological strain and the potential to overexert the cardiovascular system. Chronic psychological stress brought on by tending to emergency situations and exposure to pollutants also increase risk by promoting inflammation in the body and the development of CVD risk factors. (1)
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