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Job strain associated with AF
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Work stress and other job strain factors increased the risk for atrial fibrillation, according to a study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
“Work stress has previously been linked with coronary heart disease,” Eleonor I. Fransson, PhD, associate professor of epidemiology at the School of Health and Welfare at Jönköping University in Sweden, said in a press release. “Work stress should be considered a modifiable risk factor for preventing atrial fibrillation and coronary heart disease. People who feel stressed at work and have palpitations or other symptoms of atrial fibrillation should see their doctor and speak to their employer about improving the situation at work.”
Researchers analyzed data from 13,200 participants (mean age, 47 years; 55% women) who were first included in the Swedish Longitudinal Occupational Survey of Health in 2006, 2008 or 2010. Participants were gainfully employed and worked at least 30% full time. Those with a history of MI, AF or HF were excluded.
Work stress was measured at baseline using the Swedish demand-control questionnaire, which included six control items and five job demand items.
Two studies on the link between job strain and AF were included in a meta-analysis: the Primary Prevention Study and the Work, Lipids and Fibrinogen study.
During a median follow-up of 5.7 years, 145 participants developed AF.
After adjusting for sex, age and education, participants who reported job strain had a 50% increased risk for AF compared with those who did not have job strain (HR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1-2.18). The estimated risk did not change after further adjustment for leisure-time physical activity, smoking, hypertension and BMI.
In the meta-analysis, job strain was linked to a 37% increased risk for AF (HR = 1.37; 95% CI, 1.13-1.67). This pattern was consistent across the studies included in the analysis.
“Autonomic imbalance, neurohormonal activation, altered left atrial electrophysiology and structural remodeling of the atrium have all been proposed to play important roles in the development of atrial fibrillation, making a biological pathway between work stress and atrial fibrillation plausible,” Fransson and colleagues wrote. – by Darlene Dobkowski
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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