Job strain and arteriosclerosis in three different types of arteries among male Japanese factory workers

Abstract

Objectives This study evaluated the association between job strain and subclinical indicators of arteriosclerosis simultaneously in the cerebral artery, the aorta, and the carotid artery. MethodsThe participants in this cross-sectional study consisted of 352 male factory workers between the ages of 24.9 to 55.8 (mean 41.7) years who had not been exposed to any hazardous chemicals in Japan. Job strain was measured using a Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire developed by Karasek. The following subclinical indicators of arteriosclerosis were examined by noninvasive procedures: hyperintense spots in T2-weighted images in brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), pulse wave velocity of the aorta, and the stiffness parameter of the carotid artery using ultrasound and systolic and diastolic blood pressure.Results After control for potential confounders, high job strain was associated with an increased prevalence of hyperintense spots (adjusted odds ratio 2.53, 95% confidence interval 1.14-5.63), and elevated pulse-wave velocity (adjusted increase in percent 3.5, 95% confidence interval 0.0-6.9). The stiffness parameter tended to be elevated in the high job-strain group although this trend was not statistically significant. Job strain showed no relation to blood pressure. ConclusionsIn this study, job strain was associated with subclinical indicators of arteriosclerosis in different arteries although the association was not statistically significant for the carotid artery. New information is offered by brain MRI for arteriosclerosis in the cerebral artery. An increase in hyperintense spots may explain the link between job strain and cerebrovascular disease.

Associations between life stress and subclinical cardiovascular disease are partly mediated by depressive and anxiety symptoms

“…This questionnaire consists of 29 dichotomous items assessing among others job demands and decision latitude or job control. Job strain is based on the median split of job demands and decision latitude and is most widely used in research examining cardiovascular accompany of stress [19,21,23]. Participants perceiving high job strain (high demands combined with low decision latitude) were distinguished from the others, forming a dichotomous variable as done before [21,23,40].…”

“…Apart from a remarkable amount of data regarding the link between job stress and carotid atherosclerosis [20][21][22]25], arterial stiffness [23,24], or CHD [26], the associations between other sources of life stress and subclinical vascular health in one population have not been studied yet. Furthermore, childhood stress [10,27,28], and recent stress [29,30] have been associated with depression and anxiety, and in turn, these conditions have been associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality [31][32][33].…”

“…Furthermore, perceived mental stress [17] and posttraumatic stress disorder [18] are associated with risk of CHD. With respect to adulthood stress, job stress (i.e., strain: high demand, low control) in particular has been thoroughly investigated [19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26]. Chronic job strain after myocardial infarction is associated with increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular events [19].…”

“…Chronic job strain after myocardial infarction is associated with increased risk of recurrent cardiovascular events [19]. Demanding work has been associated with the development of subclinical CVD, measured as carotid atherosclerosis [22] or arterial stiffness [23] in workingpopulations. However, the evidence is contradictory, since other studies found no associations in women while they did in man [21,24] and even negative associations in healthy male employees [20,25] between job stress and carotid atherosclerosis or arterial stiffness.…”

Self-reported hypertension and job strain in nursing personnel: Assessing two different formulations of the demand-control model

“…Among studies that have evaluated the relation between the cardiovascular outcomes and psychosocial work stress are the investigations of Theorell, et al [14] and Michikawa, et al [20] that used the quotient term to assess job strain. Both found significant associations between the job strain and heart disease.…”