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Job strain linked to increased CHD risk in large European study
People who have demanding jobs are 23% more likely to experience a MI compared with their peers without such work stress, according to results of a study of about 200,000 people from seven European countries.
Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of 13 European cohort studies conducted between 1985 and 2006 to analyze links between job strain and CHD. The analysis included 197,473 employed men and women without CHD at the time of baseline assessment. All participants completed questionnaires at the start of the studies to evaluate job demands, excessive workload, the level of time-pressure demands and freedom to make choices.
Overall, 15% of study participants reported job strain. During an average 7.5 years of follow-up, the researchers recorded 2,356 incident CHD events, defined as the first nonfatal MI or coronary death.
The 23% increased risk for people who reported job strain persisted after adjustment for factors such as lifestyle, age, sex and socioeconomic status.
“The overall population attributable risk (PAR) for CHD events was around 3.4%, suggesting that if the association were causal, then job strain would account for a notable proportion of CHD events in working populations. As such, reducing workplace stress might decrease disease incidence. However, this strategy would have a much smaller effect than tackling standard risk factors such as smoking (PAR 36%) and physical inactivity (PAR 12%),” Mika Kivimäki, PhD, from the department of epidemiology and public health, University College London, said in a press release.
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.