BAD FOR WOMEN’S HEARTS

JOB STRAIN IS BAD FOR WOMEN’S HEARTS

Work – Related Stress Doubles the Risk Of Heart Attack & Other Cardiac Problems

Women with high job strain are 40% more likely to suffer from cardiovascular diseases, including heart attacks and the need for procedures to open blocked arteries, a new study has claimed.

Job strain is a form of psychological stress defined as having a demanding job with little to no decision-making authority or opportunities to use one’s creative or individual skills.

“Our study indicates that there are both immediate and long-term clinically documented cardiovascular health effects of job strain in women,” said Michelle Albert, the study’s senior author and associate physician at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston.

“Your job can positively and negatively affect health, making it important to pay attention to the stresses of your job,”she added.

According to the researchers, who presented their findings at the American Heart Association’s scientific sessions 2010 in Chicago, apart from the stressful conditions, job insecurity, or the fear of losing job, was also associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

However, it’s not directly associated with heart attacks, stroke, invasive heart procedures or cardiovascular death, the researchers said.

For their study, the researchers analyzed job strain in 17,415 healthy women who participated in the landmark Women’s Health Study.

The women were Caucasian health professionals with the average age of 57 who provided information about heart disease risk factors, job strain and job insecurity. They were followed for more than 10 years to track the development of cardiovascular disease and researchers used a standard questionnaire to evaluate their job strain and insecurity. It was found that women who reported high job strain had 40% higher risks of heart attacks, coronary artery bypass surgery or balloon angioplasty and death.