Long work hours linked to high blood pressure

28/08/2006   A new study of the impact of work hours on hypertension suggests a link between working long hours and an increased risk of high blood pressure.

Increased risk of hypertension joins a growing list of health risks associated with overwork, including cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

A survey of more than 24,000 California workers aged 18 to 64 found that the more hours people worked, the more likely they were to report that they had high blood pressure.

Results from the survey, which appeared in the medical journal Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association, support data found by studies in Japan. Japanese researchers became interested in links between work hours and health effects following an increase in cases of "Karoshi," or "sudden death from overwork."

The study does not, however, conclude that working long hours actually causes high blood pressure. It is careful to note that other socioeconomic factors may be in play:

In addition, the differences reported were not large. According to the survey, people working 41 to 50 hours a week reported high blood pressure 17 per cent more often than those working 11 to 19 hours per week, while those working 40 hours a week reported a 14 per cent higher incidence than those working part time.

This study showed a slightly lower risk for professionals compared to clerical and unskilled workers, which is consistent with other studies that indicated work that challenges people mentally may help protect against hypertension. There is also an increased risk associated with lower socioeconomic status, which is consistent with earlier studies.

Managers (17.1 per cent) and unskilled workers (16.6 per cent) reported the most cases of increased blood pressure.

The lowest percentage of reported hypertension came from people who worked in sales (13.2 per cent) and skilled workers (14 per cent).

The percentage of hypertension reported increased with age, with 31.3 per cent in the oldest age group (51 through 64) reporting high blood pressure, compared to 7.2 per cent for the youngest age group (18 through 35).

Reports of high blood pressure from working women was 16.1 per cent, compared to 14.1 per cent for men, although 18.2 per cent of men reported working 51 hours per week compared with 7.8 per cent of women.

The study did not have sufficient data to weigh the impact of unpaid hours of work in the home, however, which has been cited as an increased risk factor for many women. It is not uncommon for women with full-time jobs to work a "second shift" of housework and childcare when they get home.

People who smoked but quit reported hypertension 21 per cent more often than people who had never smoked, compared to 16 per cent of people who still smoke. About 59 per cent of the workers surveyed had never smoked, and 13 per cent of them reported high blood pressure.

Of 3.6 per cent who reported having diabetes, 40.9 per cent reported having hypertension.

Thirty-five cent reported that they do not get regular exercise and 17.2 per cent of them reported high blood pressure.

Similar studies in Japan have led the government to provide guidance to employers on overtime, suggesting that employees should not work more than 45 hours of overtime per month. The government threatened to intervene when overtime goes over 100 hours per month.

European Union guidelines set a maximum work week of 48 hours.

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