The Impact of Different Types of Shift Work on Blood Pressure and Hypertension: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Sara Gamboa Madeira, Carina Fernandes, Teresa Paiva, Carlos Santos Moreira and Daniel Caldeira
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Sara Gamboa Madeira: Instituto de Saúde Ambiental (ISAMB), Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-026 Lisbon, Portugal
Carina Fernandes: Escola Nacional de Saúde Pública, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, 1600-560 Lisbon, Portugal
Teresa Paiva: Sleep Medicine Center (CENC), 1070-068 Lisbon, Portugal
Carlos Santos Moreira: Medicine Clinic I, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de Lisboa, 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal
Daniel Caldeira: Cardiology Department, Hospital de Santa Maria/Santa Maria University Hospital—Centro Hospitalar Universitário Lisboa Norte (CHULN), 1649-028 Lisbon, Portugal

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 13, 1-19

Abstract: Shift work (SW) encompasses 20% of the European workforce. Moreover, high blood pressure (BP) remains a leading cause of death globally. This review aimed to synthesize the magnitude of the potential impact of SW on systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and hypertension (HTN). MEDLINE, EMBASE and CENTRAL databases were searched for epidemiological studies evaluating BP and/or HTN diagnosis among shift workers, compared with day workers. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed and the results were expressed as pooled mean differences or odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI). The Newcastle–Ottawa Scale was used to assess the risk of bias. Forty-five studies were included, involving 117,252 workers. We found a significant increase in both SBD and DBP among permanent night workers (2.52 mmHg, 95% CI 0.75–4.29 and 1.76 mmHg, 95% CI 0.41–3.12, respectively). For rotational shift workers, both with and without night work, we found a significant increase but only for SBP (0.65 mmHg, 95% CI 0.07–1.22 and 1.28 mmHg, 95% CI 0.18–2.39, respectively). No differences were found for HTN. Our findings suggest that SW is associated with an increase of BP, mainly for permanent night workers and for SBP. This is of special interest given the large number of susceptible workers exposed over time.

Keywords: cardiovascular disease; blood pressure; occupational health; work schedule; permanent shift; rotating shift; night shift; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:13:p:6738-:d:580226

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