Shiftwork and heart disease


People who work shifts are more likely to develop heart disease, with each year spent on this working pattern increasing the risk by almost 1%, according to a new study published in the Occupational Medicine journal. 


The study by researchers at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China is the largest to examine the relationship between coronary heart disease and shiftwork. It found that shiftworkers are on average 13% more likely to develop coronary heart disease than those who work typical hours. 


The researchers examined 21 studies of shiftwork arrangements, including rotating shifts, consistent night work and non-standard daytime hours. They included more than 320,000 people, almost 20,000 with coronary heart disease.

https://academic.oup.com/occmed/advance-article/doi/10.1093/occmed/kqz020/5420972