|
People who are routinely up all night
working the late shift may be harming their hearts.
Investigators found that shift workers
-- those working in an alternating work schedule including
nights -- are more likely to develop a condition called premature
ventricular complexes (PVC), which is associated with extra
heart beats and an increased
risk of death due to heart disease.
Previous studies have found that shift
workers have higher rates of heart disease compared with those
who work in the daytime even
after other risk factors -- such as smoking,
diet and weight -- are taken into consideration.
The study found that nearly
half the shift workers experienced an increase in PVCs,
while just more than one quarter of day-shift workers saw
an increase.
Increased
irregularities in the heartbeats of shift workers
might explain, at least partly, the increased risk of cardiovascular
disease in these workers.
Occupational
and Environmental Medicine September 2001;58:678-681
| 