Employees who spend more than 49 hours at work each week are more likely to develop high blood pressure, a study from the American Heart Association reveals.
A silent disease, arterial hypertension (HTA) would affect, according to a study by Public Health France, more than one in three French people, half of whom would be unaware of their condition and therefore would not take any treatment.
Corresponding to a hyperpressure of the blood on the wall of the arteries, it has the effect of stiffening them and causing them to age prematurely, which exposes them to a major risk of cardiovascular accidents, in particular myocardial infarction, strokes. brain and kidney failure.
Although high blood pressure mostly affects people over the age of 65, it can nevertheless develop much earlier, especially in people who spend long hours at work.
This is revealed by a new study conducted by researchers from the Department of Medicine at the University of Laval, in Quebec, and whose conclusions have just been published in theHypertension Diary reportthe journal of the American Heart Association.
A risk of hypertension from 41 hours of work per week
To study the correlation between long working hours and hypertension, the researchers called on more than 3,500 office workers from three public establishments in Quebec, who complied with three waves of tests over five years. The researchers first provided the volunteers with a wearable monitor to check their blood pressure, which they had to wear while resting three times in one morning and then during their working day. Data was then collected every 15 minutes. Mean readings at rest were 140/90 mmHg or higher, and mean readings at work were 135/85 mmHg or higher, which is considered high.
The results obtained showed that working 49 hours or more per week was linked to a 70% higher probability of having masked hypertension and 66% higher of having sustained hypertension. Working between 41 and 48 hours per week was linked to a 54% higher likelihood of having masked hypertension and a 42% higher likelihood of having sustained hypertension.
“Masked hypertension and sustained hypertension are both linked to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease,” says Xavier Trudel, assistant professor in the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine at Laval University in Quebec City and lead author of the study.
In total, nearly 19% of employees followed for five years developed hypertension, including those who were already taking treatment. More than 13% of workers had masked hypertension and were not receiving treatment for hypertension. “The link between long working hours and hypertension in the study was about the same for men as for women,” adds Professor Trudel.
Stress as the main factor
How can this link between hypertension and weekly working time be explained? For the researchers, if stress at work is indeed a factor of high blood pressure, other “related stress factors could have an impact”. “Future research could examine whether family responsibilities — such as a worker’s number of children, household chores, and childcare role — might interact with work circumstances to explain high blood pressure.”
“People should be aware that working long hours can have an effect on their heart health, and if they work long hours they should ask their doctor to check their blood pressure over time with a wearable monitor” , recommends Xavier Trudel. “Hidden hypertension can affect a person for a long time and is associated, in the long term, with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. We have already shown that over five years, about one in five people with masked hypertension have never experienced elevated blood pressure in a clinical setting, which can delay diagnosis and treatment,” he recalls.
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