Prevalence of chronic diseases among subway train drivers (based on the results of periodic medical examinations)

Introduction. The profession of a subway driver imposes increased requirements on the physical health and mental state of the employee. Sudden deterioration in the driver's health can cause an emergency situation that poses a threat to the lives of passengers, so regular monitoring of the driver's health and analysis of the structure of their illnesses are of utmost importance.

The aim of the study is to assess the prevalence of chronic diseases among metro train drivers of different ages and lengths of service in the profession against the background of the established healthy worker effect.

Materials and methods. The study on the prevalence of diseases among metro train drivers and comparison group members was based on the results of preliminary and periodic medical examinations conducted at the clinic of the Federal State Budgetary Scientific Institution "Research Institute of Metrology".

The comparison group consisted of men of various ages who had undergone a preliminary medical examination (no experience) and had no medical contraindications to working as a metro train driver. Therefore, the main and comparison groups consisted of individuals with no contraindications to working as a metro train driver. This allowed us to offset the "healthy worker" effect when comparing the incidence of diseases among metro train drivers and comparison group members and to assess the influence of working conditions on the prevalence of diseases in the metro train driver profession, taking into account length of service.

Results. Age naturally increases the incidence of a number of diseases, observed both among metro train drivers and among those not yet employed as train drivers but who have undergone a preliminary medical examination. The rate of increase in disease prevalence with age reflects the intensity of these changes. Among train drivers, the highest rates of increase from 20–29 years to 40–49 years were observed for circulatory diseases (458.0% versus 381.5% in the comparison group) and obesity (263.8% versus 180.6%). The role of work experience in the formation of morbidity rates among metro train drivers is noted in the age group of 40-49 years: with a work experience of 1–4 years, 10.4±1.6 cases of diseases were identified, with a work experience of 10 years or more — 17.7±0.84 per 100 employees (p<0.05). At the age of 20–29 years, among metro train drivers with work experience, the incidence of obesity significantly increases. The incidence of individuals with a body mass index (BMI) indicating obesity in the group of individuals aged 20–29 years with an increase in work experience from 1–4 years to 5–9 years significantly doubled: from 8.1±0.37 to 16.4±1.57 (p<0.05).

Limitations. Only metro train drivers were examined.

Conclusion. The results obtained indicate the effectiveness of periodic and preliminary medical examinations, but the role of working conditions (stress and physical inactivity) is reflected in the rate of increase in circulatory diseases and obesity.

Ethics. The study was conducted in compliance with the ethical standards for conducting medical research involving humans, in accordance with the requirements of the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki. All the subjects signed a voluntary informed consent to participate in the study. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of the Research Institute of Medical Technology (Minutes of the Ethics Committee of the Research Institute of Medical Technology No. 8 dated November 11, 2020).

Contributions:
Kuzmina L.P. — study concept and design, editing;
Yakovleva T.P. — study concept and design, writing;
Golovkova N.P. — study design, editing;
Leskina L.M. — editing;
Karpushina A.V. — data collection and processing, research.

Funding. The study received no sponsorship.

Conflict of interest. The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Received: 29.12.2025 / Accepted: 17.03.2026 / Published: 25.04.2026

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