Low-paid employees under crushing work stress have a nearly doubled risk of developing a dangerous heart rhythm disorder, a new study finds.

White-collar workers with high-stress, low-reward jobs have a 97% increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation, which increases a person’s risk of stroke and heart failure, researchers report.

“Our study suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors to include in preventive strategies” targeting heart disease, said senior study author Xavier Trudel, an occupational and cardiovascular epidemiologist at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

For the study, Trudel and his colleagues analyzed data on more than 5,900 Canadian workers gathered during a research project from 1991 to 2018.

The employees were asked about their work stress, and medical records revealed that 186 of the workers had developed atrial fibrillation, or A-Fib.

About 19% of those with A-Fib said they had high job stress, while another 25% said their work wasn’t being adequately rewarded with recognition or better pay. About 10% said they had stress and also felt poorly rewarded for their work.

Those with high job stress had an 83% increased risk of A-Fib compared those not stressed by work, results show.

Likewise, those who felt poorly rewarded had a 44% increased risk of A-Fib, compared to those who felt work was treating them fairly.

And those with both stressors had a 97% increased risk of A-Fib, researchers found.

The findings were published Aug. 14 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart begin to beat irregularly. This allows blood to pool in the chamber, potentially leading to dangerous stroke-causing blood clots.

A-Fib doubles the risk of heart-related death and is associated with a fivefold increased risk for stroke, according to the American Heart Association.

More than 12 million people are projected to have A-Fib in the United States by 2030, the AHA estimates.

“The effectiveness of workplace interventions to reduce psychosocial stressors that may also reduce the risk of A-Fib should be investigated in future research efforts,” Trudel said.

Potential workplace changes that could contribute to heart health includes slowing down large projects to prevent increased workload, implementing flexible work hours, and holding regular meetings between managers and employees to discuss day-to-day challenges, Trudel said.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has more about atrial fibrillation.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, news release, Aug. 14, 2024

Source: HealthDay

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