Ann Occup Environ Med.  2020 ;32(1):e8. 10.35371/aoem.2020.32.e8.

Pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium outcomes in female firefighters in Korea

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Dankook University Hospital, Cheonan, Korea. searchthing@naver.com
  • 2Department of Prevention Medicine and Institute of Genomic Cohort, Yonsei Wonju College of Medicine, Wonju, Korea.

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Female firefighters are exposed to hazardous environmental (chemical and physical) and working (shift work, psychological, and ergonomic factors) conditions that have reported or are suspected of adverse effects on reproductive health. However, no previous studies have reported on pregnancy, childbirth, and puerperium outcomes (PCPOs) in female firefighters.
METHODS
The present study compared hospital admissions for PCPOs, based on 10th revision of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10) codes, among Korean female firefighters with those of the general Korean population. Standardized admission ratios (SARs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated.
RESULTS
The study population included 1,766 female firefighters. Total follow-up duration was 9,659 person-years. Compared to the general female population, the female firefighters' SARs were higher in all admissions for PCPOs (SAR, 1.92; 95% CI: 1.79-2.05); pregnancy and abortive outcomes (SAR, 1.56; 95% CI: 1.12-2.12); other maternal disorders predominantly related to pregnancy (SAR, 2.65; 95% CI: 1.99-3.46); maternal care related to the fetus, amniotic cavity, and possible delivery problems (SAR, 2.13; 95% CI: 1.74-2.57); labor and delivery complications (SAR, 1.55; 95% CI: 1.15-2.06); delivery (SAR, 1.94; 95% CI: 1.80-2.08); and complications predominantly related to puerperium (SAR, 4.68; 95% CI: 2.02-9.23).
CONCLUSION
The results of this study showed high SARs in all and specific subcategories of PCPOs in female firefighters.

Keyword

Pregnancy and puerperium outcomes; Reproductive health; Female; Firefighters

MeSH Terms

Female*
Fetus
Firefighters*
Follow-Up Studies
Humans
International Classification of Diseases
Korea*
Parturition*
Postpartum Period*
Pregnancy*
Reproductive Health
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