Rotating Night Shifts May Lead to Cancer, Heart Disease
By Sol Cali
RECENTLY, an ICU nurse informed this writer that call center agents and other workers who work on rotating night shifts for years had a higher probability of acquiring heart disease, which could be fatal. Her statement is hard to accept in the absence of medical research or studies. But recently, we came across a study released by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that confirmed this.
The journal stated that workers who are on rotating night shifts are faced with health problems that in the long run, could be fatal
Harvard Medical School led by Dr. Eva Schernhammer of tracked 22 years of data from a 75,000 nurses across the United States. While the study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, it found that people who worked rotating night shifts for more than five years had an 11 percent increased risk of death from all causes. While the risk of death from heart disease was19 percent higher among those who worked such shifts 6 to 14 years, and 23 percent higher for 15 or more years.
Death from lung cancer is 25 percent higher for nurses who worked rotating night shifts for 15 yearsor more. Prior research conducted by the authors showed that the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease and cancer is higher for this group of workers.
My nephew, who worked for a number of years in a call center in Makati developed heart palpitations, as these became serious, he was forced to resign on the advice of his doctor who asked him to find another job once he recovers.
Smartpinoysatbp.com believes that occupational health professionals in collaboration with the Department of Labor should formulate guidelines for industries that require their workers to work on three shifts periodically to prevent life-threatening diseases in the future.
Sources: HealthDay& American Journal of Preventive Medicine
30 January 2015
RECENTLY, an ICU nurse informed this writer that call center agents and other workers who work on rotating night shifts for years had a higher probability of acquiring heart disease, which could be fatal. Her statement is hard to accept in the absence of medical research or studies. But recently, we came across a study released by the American Journal of Preventive Medicine that confirmed this.
The journal stated that workers who are on rotating night shifts are faced with health problems that in the long run, could be fatal
Harvard Medical School led by Dr. Eva Schernhammer of tracked 22 years of data from a 75,000 nurses across the United States. While the study couldn't prove cause-and-effect, it found that people who worked rotating night shifts for more than five years had an 11 percent increased risk of death from all causes. While the risk of death from heart disease was19 percent higher among those who worked such shifts 6 to 14 years, and 23 percent higher for 15 or more years.
Death from lung cancer is 25 percent higher for nurses who worked rotating night shifts for 15 yearsor more. Prior research conducted by the authors showed that the risk of acquiring cardiovascular disease and cancer is higher for this group of workers.
My nephew, who worked for a number of years in a call center in Makati developed heart palpitations, as these became serious, he was forced to resign on the advice of his doctor who asked him to find another job once he recovers.
Smartpinoysatbp.com believes that occupational health professionals in collaboration with the Department of Labor should formulate guidelines for industries that require their workers to work on three shifts periodically to prevent life-threatening diseases in the future.
Sources: HealthDay& American Journal of Preventive Medicine
30 January 2015