Work Stress Increases Heart Risk for Women
Younger women with high work stress have a greater chance of ischemic heart disease according to a new study from Denmark.
Ischemic heart disease is heart problem where the blood flow is constrained to the heart muscle. Almost 4 million Americans may have ischemic episodes, but do not realize it because they do not experience symptoms.
Researchers in Denmark examined more than 12,000 female nurses aged 45 to 64 at Glostrup University Hospital. The nurses were followed for 15 years, from 1993 to 2008. To assess levels of work stress and other risk factors, the nurses filled out questionnaires. Researchers took into account different variables like physical activity to behavior.
60% of the nurses said work pressure was much too high or a little too high. Then over the course of the study, 560 women suffered from ischemic heart disease. Among these women, 369 cases were angina, 138 cases were heart attacks, and 73 were other cases of heart disease.
The study calculated nurses with too much job pressure had an almost 50% increased risk of ischemic heart disease. However, after taking into account other risk factors the percentage dropped to 35%. On the other hand, nurses with slightly too much work stress had a 25% increased risk for ischemic heart disease. Lastly, nurses with minor or no work stress had no significant risk increase. The surprising part of the study was that only nurses younger than 51 had a major risk of heart disease.
Of course, other factors may play into this finding. Older nurses may have other more important risk factors. In addition, individuals with ischemic heart disease may have already left the field.
Related posts:
- Heart Disease Symptoms Vary Between Men and Women It’s no secret that men and women’s bodies function differently....
- Heart Rate Indicator for Women’s Heart Attack Risk The resting heart rate of a woman is a good...
- Air Pollution Linked to Increased Heart Risk, Stroke Risk Increasing evidence shows short and long-term exposure to air pollution...
- Sleep Apnea and Stroke Sleep apnea has been connected to an increased risk of...
- Men at Higher Risk for Sudden Cardiac Death Findings presented at the annual meeting of the American Heart...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
