The pressure at work, the mental load and the various hardships of life represent a danger for the cardiovascular health of women.
- Due to the stress related to their mental workload, women are more at risk than men of developing coronary heart disease
- The stress of everyday life increases the risk of coronary heart disease by 12%
Stress increases our vulnerability to certain pathologies such as diabetes or heart disease. American researchers note that women are more at risk than men, because they are more subject to stress. In Journal of the American Heart Associationthey explain that they are more at risk of suffering from coronary artery disease because of professional and social stress.
An analysis of women’s health over the long term
Researchers at Drexel University, located in Pennsylvania, used data from a large study tracking women’s health, conducted between 1991 and 2015. The survey aimed to improve the prevention of cancers, diseases heart disease and osteoporosis in women. In total, the scientists extracted information from more than 80,000 postmenopausal women to compile statistics on their risk of coronary heart disease. This pathology affects the arteries, clogged by the accumulation of plaques, generally formed following an excess of bad cholesterol. It can cause angina pectoris or myocardial infarction.
A risk linked to an accumulation of stress
They observed the effects of professional stress, social stress, that is, all the negative aspects related to social relationships, and distressing life events, such as bereavement or divorce, for example. Of all the women, 14% suffered from coronary heart disease during the study. Analysis of their respective personal and professional situations found that stressful life events were associated with a 12% increase in the risk of coronary heart disease. For social stress, this increase was 9%. The accumulation of social and professional stress leads to a 21% higher risk. For scientists, this stress at work is the consequence of an inability to meet professional demands.
The weight of the pandemic
These conclusions carry even more weight in the current context. “The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the stress experienced by women in managing paid work and social pressure“, say the researchers. School at home, household chores, shopping: all this is more often the responsibility of women, and generates anxieties. “My hope is that these results will alert us to the need for better methods of managing stress at work, and that they remind us of the heavy dilemma that women face because of this unpaid domestic work.“, indicates one of the authors of this research, Yvonne Michael. With her colleagues, she reminds us that we must not ignore the threat that stress represents for our health.
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