HYDERABAD: Preliminary findings from a new study has found that respiratory morbidity in the cops of Hyderabad Traffic Police is nearly 29.85 per cent. The cross-sectional study was conducted between June 2016-October 2019 on 270 odd policemen in the traffic department, and an abstract of the same has been published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
The preliminary data from the study points towards the hazardous working conditions -- being exposed to vehicular pollution for long hours. The study finds that nearly 18.9 per cent of them have chronic phlegm and 13.17 per cent have chronic cough. Another 2.32 per cent even have chronic wheezing.
The findings are: “Respiratory morbidity was significantly associated with age, duration of occupation-related exposure to air pollution and the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the workplace.” The study also analysed their Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) which is a test commonly done for asthma patients and gauges the total air forcefully exhaled from the lungs outside. In this particular index, around 29 per cent of the individuals have “obstructive patterns”.
Most cops also have Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Sisease (COPD) with the study suggesting that around 68 per cent of those studied have a poor FEV1 score which is a diagnostic test used to assess the degree of obstruction in lungs. While the full findings of the study are yet to to be published, the abstract in itself noted that the implementation of preventive measures is of paramount importance.