The aim of this exercise is to  give some background information on  medical facilities  on airplanes, and at airports, so as to enable you to make use of them in case of ill health and air travel striking you at the same time.

Passengers also lie to the carrier. If they have a pre-condition that needs medical that needs special looking after top class airlines are ready to oblige but if you don’t pass on the information because you are afraid of being offloaded then the complication is really not their fault. Pregnant women conceal their status and then produce an emergency on the flight. Fiabetics forget their meds or have them put in the check in luggage… stuck for 14 hours without help. Asthmatics forget their inhalers and get themselves into a fix. The list is pretty long. 

Jet lag, cramped confines, dry air, air conditioned recycling of germs and viruses, proximity to affected passengers, these are all grey areas. Not much has been stated about fear of flying which is whole new game in itself and has reactions to many conditions including blood pressure, ischemic heart disease and nervous disorders. Ailments like asthma, respiratory complications, allergies, back problems, colds and coughs and migraine can be triggered by stimuli found in flying.

It won’t be long before the industry gets an act together on the subject of medicine in the air. In the interim be sure there will be much more about this issue in the future.

The cabin environment and

general stresses of flight

A striking feature of the passenger cabin, as you enter it, ought to be a relaxed, welcoming aura about it. Warm colors, soothing music, ample cushioned seats and a designer décor, all contrive to make you enjoy your journey.

Throughout the flight, the ambient temperature will be in the comfort zone: Around 21 to 23 degrees C, may be a little less or more. But you are not expected to freeze and if you think you may do so, ask for a blanket. In fact, the clothing you choose to wear for the flight, should reflect weather conditions  at your destination.

The humidity will  rarely be over 20 to 25 percent, and this could be a source of trouble for some ailments, specially of the upper respiratory tract, and those with dry eyes.

The ambient  pressure in the cabin will be varying from sea level, to that which pertains at about 6,000 feet altitude above mean sea level. This  does not in anyway, represent a physiological challenge to a healthy body, but for those with specific lung diseases, it may warrant supplemental oxygen … factors that patients also do not want to confess to in case the airlines refuses them the right to board. This is another major aspect and as the issue of medical attention manifests itself there will be a further complication coming out of offloading passengers whose medical condition may daunt the airline from giving them passage for fear of legal problems on the way.

There are often reports in the lay press about cosmic or solar radiation and its effects on the frequent flyer passenger. All available evidence to-date points to a much–ado-about-nothing type of  reaction, though airline pilots  have been the focus of a  more defined probing …. with still nothing significant emerging.

Ozone is nowadays, best defined as a contaminant in the cabin atmospheric composition, and since it was first found out to be responsible for some niggling nose and throat problems a couple of decades ago, countermeasures have  brought ozone in the cabin to very safe levels.

Jet lag, cramped confines, dry air, air conditioned recycling of germs and viruses, proximity to affected passengers, these are all grey areas. Not much has been stated about fear of flying which is whole new game in itself and has reactions to many conditions including blood pressure, ischemic heart disease and nervous disorders. Ailments like asthma, respiratory complications, allergies, back problems, colds and coughs and migraine can be triggered by stimuli found in flying.

It won’t be long before the industry gets an act together on the subject of medicine in the air. In the interim be sure there will be much more about this issue in the future.