Work pressure increases heart attack and stroke risk in women compared to men

Work stress, sleep disorders and fatigue, which are considered non-traditional risk factors for heart attack and stroke, were higher in men than men, according to a new study presented Wednesday at the European Stroke Organization (ESO) conference. increasing more rapidly among women. While diabetes, arterial hypertension, increased cholesterol, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity are considered modifiable risk factors for heart disease, more recently, it has been noted that non-traditional risk factors such as work pressure and sleep Heart problems can significantly add to the cardiovascular risk. .

Men have traditionally been thought to be more affected by heart attacks and strokes than women.

But, “the study found that men were more likely than women to smoke and be obese, but women reported a larger increase in nontraditional risk factors for heart attack and stroke, such as work assignments.” stress, sleep disorders and feeling tired and exhausted”, said neurologist Dr Martin Hansel and his team at the University Hospital Zurich.

“This increase coincides with the number of women working full-time. Work and household responsibilities or other socio-cultural aspects may be a factor, as well as women’s specific health demands that are not accounted for in our daily ‘busy’ lives Yes,” Hansal said.

Researchers compared data from 22,000 men and women in the 2007, 2012 and 2017 Swiss Health Surveys and found an “alarming” increase in the number of women reporting nontraditional risk factors for cardiovascular disease. This trend coincides with an increase in the number of women working full-time from 38 percent in 2007 to 44 percent in 2017.

Overall, in both genders, the number of people reporting stress at work increased from 59 percent in 2012 to 66 percent in 2017, and the number of those reporting fatigue and fatigue increased from 23 percent to 29 percent (up to 33 percent among women and women). happened. 26 percent in men).

Over the same period, the number of sleep disorders increased from 24 percent to 29 percent, with more severe sleep disorders occurring more rapidly in women (8 percent) than men (5 percent).

However, the research also found that the traditional risk factors for developing cardiovascular disease remained stable over the same time period, with 27 percent suffering from high blood pressure, 18 percent with elevated cholesterol and 5 percent suffering from diabetes. Obesity increased to 11 percent and smoking decreased from about 10.5 to 9.5 cigarettes per day, but both were more prevalent among men.