Why are surgeons at greater risk of dying than other doctors?
Long hours, high pressure and workplace exposures could explain the higher death rate, researchers say.
Surgeons die at a higher rate than other doctors, including through fatal car accidents or assault, a US study shows.
Researchers found the age- and sex-adjusted mortality rate for surgeons was 355.3 per 100,000, versus 228.4 for other doctors.
Deaths from car accidents, assault and hypertension were also relatively more common among surgeons, say authors from Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts.
They suggested the distinct nature of surgery, environmental risks such as radiation exposure and lifestyle might explain some of the differences.
