Job stress may contribute to A-fib development

Quebec City — Work-related stress may heighten the risk of developing atrial fibrillation later in life, results of a recent study out of Canada indicate.

A-fib causes the heart to beat irregularly and can lead to stroke, heart failure or other cardiovascular complications, an American Heart Association press release states.

Researchers looked at 18 years’ worth of medical records for nearly 6,000 white-collar workers. They found that:

• Participants who reported “high job strain” had an 83% greater risk of developing A-fib compared with those unaffected by the stressors.
• The workers who perceived an effort-reward imbalance had a 44% greater risk, compared with the participants who didn’t report this imbalance.
• The combination of high job strain and an effort-reward imbalance was linked to a 97% increased risk of A-fib.

More than 12 million people in the United States are projected to have A-fib by 2030, according to AHA’s heart disease and stroke statistics.

“Our study suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors to include in preventive strategies,” senior study author Xavier Trudel, an occupational and cardiovascular epidemiologist and associate professor at Laval University, said in the release. “Recognizing and addressing psychosocial stressors at work are required to foster healthy work environments that benefit both individuals and the organizations where they work.”

The study was published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association.