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Rotating night shifts raised mortality risk for US female nurses
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Female nurses who reported working rotating night shifts for 5 years or longer had a modest increase in the risk in all-cause and CVD-related mortality, according to results published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Researchers analyzed the prospective cohort Nurses’ Health Study for data on lifetime rotating night shift work collected in 1988 (n=74,864). Lifetime rotating night shift work was defined as at least three nights per month.
During 22 years of follow-up (1988-2010), 14,181 deaths were recorded; 3,062 deaths were related to CVD and 5,413 deaths were related to cancer.
Compared with women who never worked night shifts, the risk for all-cause mortality was significantly increased among nurses who reported 6 to 14 years of rotating night shift work (HR=1.11; 95% CI, 1.06-1.17) and 15 or more years (HR=1.11; 95% CI, 1.05-1.18). The researchers reported a similar trend for CVD mortality among nurses who reported 6 to 14 years of night shift work (HR=1.19; 95% CI, 1.07-1.33) and 15 or more years (HR=1.23; 95% CI, 1.09-1.38).
Analysis of mortality risk related to specific CVDs revealed significant increases in the risk for ischemic heart disease among nurses who reported 6 to 14 years of rotating night shift work (HR=1.23; 95% CI, 1.03-1.47) and 15 or more years (HR=1.34; 95% CI, 1.11-1.61). The analysis yielded no association between night shift work and cerebrovascular disease or any other CVDs.
The link between night shift work and all-cause mortality was greater among nurses who reported current smoking.
Researchers also studied the association between night shift work and cancer-related mortality. Nurses who reported 15 or more years of night shift work had a modest but significant increased risk for mortality due to lung cancer (HR=1.25; 95% CI, 1.04-1.51). There was no significant link between night shift work and all-cancer mortality (HR=1.08; 95% CI, 0.98-1.19).
“These results add to prior evidence of a potentially detrimental effect of rotating night shift work on health and longevity,” the researchers concluded. “To derive practical implications for shift workers and their health, the role of duration and intensity of rotating night shift work and the interplay of shift schedules with individual traits … warrant further exploration.”
Disclosure: The study was funded by grants from the National Cancer Institute, NHLBI and the CDC/National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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