Overtime Work Not Good for Heart Attack Survivors

— Increase in CHD risk when 40-hour week exceeded

People returning to work after a first myocardial infarction (MI) were more likely to have recurrent coronary events when they worked long hours, according to a Canadian study.

Heart attack survivors working 55 hours or more per week had a higher risk of recurrent coronary heart disease (CHD) events (i.e., MI or unstable angina) over 6 years compared with people working 35-40 hours a week (adjusted HR 1.67, 95% CI 1.10-2.53) even after adjustment for sociodemographics, lifestyle-related risk factors, clinical risk factors, work environment factors, and personality factors.

“These results showed a linear risk increase after 40 h/week and a stronger effect after the first 4 years of follow-up and when long working hours are combined with job strain,” reported Xavier Trudel, PhD, of CHU de Québec-Laval University Research Centre in Quebec City, and colleagues.

In their study online in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, they suggested secondary prevention interventions to curb the number of working hours among patients at risk of CHD recurrence: For example, long working hours should be assessed routinely to improve the prognosis of post-MI patients, the team urged.