THURSDAY, Aug. 15, 2024 (HealthDay News) — Low-income workers who experience overwhelming work stress have nearly twice the risk of developing a dangerous heart rhythm disorder, a new study finds.

According to a study by researchers, employees with stressful and low-paying jobs have a 97 percent increased risk of developing atrial fibrillation, which in turn increases the risk of stroke or heart failure.

“Our study suggests that work-related stressors may be relevant factors to include in heart disease prevention strategies,” said lead study author Xavier Trudel, an occupational and cardiovascular epidemiologist at Laval University in Quebec, Canada.

For the study, Trudel and his colleagues analyzed data from more than 5,900 Canadian workers collected as part of a research project from 1991 to 2018.

Employees were surveyed about their work-related stress and medical records revealed that 186 of them had developed atrial fibrillation.

About 19 percent of people with atrial fibrillation said they suffered a lot of stress at work, while another 25 percent said their work was not sufficiently rewarded with recognition or better pay. About 10 percent said they suffered stress and felt poorly compensated for their work.

The results show that people with high work stress have an 83% increased risk of atrial fibrillation compared to people without work stress.

Similarly, the risk of atrial fibrillation was 44% higher among those who felt poorly paid than among those who felt fairly treated at work.

And the researchers found that people with both stressors had a 97 percent increased risk of atrial fibrillation.

The results were announced on 14 August in Journal of the American Heart Association.

In atrial fibrillation, the upper chambers of the heart begin to beat irregularly. This causes blood to back up in the chamber, which can lead to dangerous blood clots that cause a stroke.

According to the American Heart Association, atrial fibrillation doubles the risk of heart-related death and is associated with a five-fold increased risk of stroke.

The AHA estimates that more than 12 million people in the United States are expected to suffer from atrial fibrillation by 2030.

“The effectiveness of workplace interventions to reduce psychosocial stressors, which may also reduce the risk of atrial fibrillation, should be investigated in future research,” Trudel said.

Possible workplace changes that could have a positive impact on heart health, Trudel said, include slowing down large projects to avoid increased workloads, introducing flexible working hours and holding regular meetings between managers and employees to discuss daily challenges.

More information

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has further information on atrial fibrillation.

SOURCE: American Heart Association, press release, August 14, 2024