I originally started this threat just because I thought some people might be interested but I'm actually amazed about all the information, may it be personal or more general, coming up.
This has nothing to do with the job being great or not, this is just about health issues/risks and experiences that might or might not be related to the job.
I only fly short haul and the only thing I noticed is that my general immune system isn't as good as it used to be. I'm getting way too many colds, infections and little minor things like that although I'm taking vitamins, eat as healthy as possible, don't smoke or drink and lead a generally healthy life style (with the exception of general exercise -just can't be bothered after running up and down the cabin all day) and I never used to be one for having problems with this kind of stuff. Plus, I'm convinced my hearing isn't as good as it used to be. But at least my brain seems to work as always as far as I can tell!
I heard about the organ donor bit too but can't claim any official source so I don't know if it's true either.
One of the main reasons why I haven't applied for long haul (although I get quite tempted from time to time) is that I know my body clock is quite sensitive and I'm worried that long haul flying will mess it up big time and I will end up never, ever getting over the feel of constant jet lag...and I'm just not confident that I would get used to it. I used to work night shift in a different job for a while and I most certainly never got used to that!
I wonder if pilots get more information (by the companies) about the health risks involved (or if they know as much as we do...any pilots out there let us know.