Does high Cholesterol disqualify employment?

[JamesBond007]

I am trying to get on with a particular airline. After the in house medical, additional tests were requested. Has anyone been rejected from employment as a result of eleviated cholestrol results? Or does anyone have any insights on what may happen in my case. Thank you for your time.:sad:

[Thylakoid]

Elevated cholesterol level is not, to my knowledge, a disqualifying issue; however, the doctor will associate it with other parameters, such as your age, gender, blood pressure, weight, etc, etc.
He may just put you on a diet and/or prescribe you some lowering cholesterol drug, such as Lipitor.
Hope it helps.

[JamesBond007]

Thy...thank you for your reply:ok:

[nairda68]

hi oo7!
thw above is correct!....with a few exeptions ......like JAL or some other japan based airlines, usually they tell you to NOT even try if your cholesterol is above 200 and BMI above some certain value.....if you call the Mayo Clinic in Rochester MN they could tell you some specifics on the issue!....good luck,keep joggin'

[cotterpot]

if your cholesterol is above 200
Mine is (was) 7.1 and the doc wanted it below 5.
what measure are you using n68?

[Speed bird 002]

Cotterpot, 7.1 was not your cholesterol lol it was your sugar level. :}

[Loose rivets]

An unqualified comment, but I have just been reading about the development of a minute ultrasound device that can scan inside the ( typically 3mm ) vessels supplying the heart.

Remember that an encouraging angiogram is not a certificate of good health.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Angiogram

This wonderful system, along with the miraculous engineering of devices to hold open blocked vessels, has given a lot of people a reprieve. However, new findings seem to spell out more clearly than ever, the importance of not allowing the build-up of the ‘wrong cholesterol' in the first place.

It seems that it can become imbedded in the artery walls, yet leave them appearing open on the angiogram. Inflamation starts because of the very cells that should be protecting us, and the bursting out of these warring entities is sudden and often catastrophic.

the study of inflamation has gone into top gear in the last decade and with some surprising results. In this case they made the clear statement that an inflamed heart is for life.

If you are likely to be affected, I would advise putting your total effort into counter-measures, even to going onto a diet that resembles the UK in wartime.

[cotterpot]

Cotterpot, 7.1 was not your cholesterol lol it was your sugar level.

I don't think so

Current UK guidelines state that it is desirable to have a total cholesterol level under 5mmol/l, and an LDL level under 3mmol/l.

[Katherine Alexandra]

I would say Cotterpot is right...my Cholesterol is 4.2, apparently. In terms of Class One medical, as far as I know, you aren't told your sugar level but you are told your cholesterol level as they do the test in front of you, ergo NO idea what my sugar level is :rolleyes:

[Loose rivets]

Just by chance, this was in the NYT today.


http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/25/health/25bypass.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin

[JamesBond007]

My Cholesterol to HDL ratio is 4.82 out of a max 5.50, is that what you mean? Test also showed LDL is boarderline high:confused:

[JamesBond007]

cotterpot ...... units are in mg/dL

[Sweetmissy]

Hi all,

I've just applied to a number of airlines as Cabin Crew, one of them being JAL.
I used to work for VS but left coz i had stomach pains, that turned out to be a Wheat intolerance.... I only found this out AFTER i left VS...

I'm healthy now and its no longer a problem, but i worried they might view it as a hinderance..

Can anyone help?

Sweetmissy x :ugh:

[FuelFlow]

So James. Did you get the EK Job?:ok:

[Bob the Doc]

Wheat intolerance shouldn't be a major issue as long as you can get wheat-free crew meals! Most intolerances do not cause long term problems as long as the correct diet is adhered to.

The UK often use different units for blood tests to other countries. Glucose (sugar), for instance is measures in millimoles per litre (mmol/l) in the UK with a normal range of, say, 4-8 but in the US it is measured in milliGRAMS per litre (mg/l). From memory, the conversion factor is 18mg/mmol so the normal range for glucose in the US would be 72-144. Likewise, if cholesterol is measured in mmol rather than mg, the value will be different. You always have to check the units and the normal range for that test in that country.

High cholesterol in and of itself may not be a bar to employment (but I don't know the answer for sure) but some anti-cholesterol drugs can be a problem. I certainly looked after one (military) pilot in my career who had problems as his anti-cholesterol drugs were not allowed for solo flying. This may be different in civilian life but it is worth checking with the CAA/FAA/JAR what drugs you are allowed to take before your doctor starts you on something new. The 'statin' class of drugs (like Lipitor) are well known for causing some unpleasant side effects which mean you should not fly until you have been on the drug for some time and have checked that you are not one of the unfortunate few that have a reaction.

That said, I hear from a CAA class 1 AME that the rules do now allow for pilots to be on statins after the usual period of time to make sure that side effects are not present. This will involve blood tests as well (but then you would have probably had bloods done to check the cholesterol anyway!)

Sorry about the long post

Bob

[gingernut]

Mr Bond, I doubt that your TC:HDL of 4.82 ratio would cause too many concerns. I guess your doc would be more interested in other compounding factors, such as age, bp, family history and whether or not you smoke.

Are there any lifestyle issues you could "tighten" ?