According to an American study, pilots flying at very high altitudes are three times more exposed to brain damage than the rest of the population.
Pilot in the Air Force, a risky job? In any case, this is what seems to be shown by a study published in the American journal. Neurology. According to this research, pilots often flying at high altitudes have a higher risk of brain damage than the rest of the population.
To come to this conclusion, scientists at the University of Texas compared two groups. The first consisted of 102 US Air Force pilots aged 26 to 50 who were flying Lockheed U-2 spy planes, that is, planes that could fly up to 21,000 meters. altitude, in other words, an altitude twice as high as that of standard airliners. The second group consisted of 91 volunteers exercising another profession.
After having had an MRI scan of the brain on each participant, the results reported by these researchers were enough to give the pilots concerned air sickness. Because these high altitude aviators ultimately had three times more brain damage than the people of the other group.
To explain this risk, Dr. Stephen McGuire who conducted the study says: “Pilots who fly regularly above 6,000 meters have a greater risk of decompression sickness, when the atmospheric pressure drops to levels below those inside the body, resulting in the formation of bubbles. “And the specialist adds that,” the lesions identified in these pilots would be four times greater in volume than in other people. “
These results did not remain without reactions from the side of the US military. The country’s military medicine now asks pilots to breathe pure oxygen before each flight to limit the risks involved. Finally, the duration of high flights has been shortened and the time spent on the ground between two take-offs must now be greater than 9 hours.
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