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Which health professionals are most at risk for cardiovascular disease? Or do not be a manager
Eliska Sovova1, Marie Nakladalová, Marketa Kaletova
1Department of Internal Medicine I - Cardiology, University Hospital Olomouc and Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, Palacký University, Olomouc, Czech Republic, eliska.sovova@fnol.cz.
Insights
Cardiovascular events are more common in male physicians and managers, especially those who are obese or have a high waist-to-hip ratio. Female managers also face a higher risk of cardiovascular events.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Medicine
- Cardiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Healthcare workers face significant occupational risks, including high-stress environments and shift work, increasing their susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
- Proactive occupational health strategies are crucial for preventing CVD in this high-risk group.
- Understanding the prevalence of CVD risk factors and their impact on cardiovascular events is essential for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among hospital employees.
- To assess the impact of these risk factors on the incidence of cardiovascular events in healthcare workers.
- To identify specific occupational groups and risk factors associated with a higher incidence of CVD.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 3124 hospital employees (562 males, 2562 females) was initially assessed for CVD risk factors using questionnaires and objective data.
- A subset of 247 high or intermediate-risk individuals underwent follow-up examinations or data ascertainment over 5-9 years.
- Cardiovascular events, including sudden death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and others, were recorded as endpoints.
Main Results:
- Cardiovascular events occurred in 6.07% of males and 2.42% of females.
- Statistically significant higher incidence of events was observed in male managers, male physicians/surgeons, tertiary-educated males, female smokers, male ex-smokers, overweight/obese males, and males with a waist-to-hip ratio > 1.0.
- Specific risk factors like obesity and high waist-to-hip ratio were strongly associated with CVD events in males.
Conclusions:
- Obese male physicians/surgeons in managerial roles and female managers are at the highest risk for cardiovascular events.
- Targeted preventive strategies focusing on identified risk factors and occupational groups are warranted.
- Occupational medicine must prioritize the cardiovascular health of healthcare workers.
Objectives:
Health care workers constitute a high-risk occupational category owing to the character of their work that includes high-risk environment, shift work and mental as well as physical stress. In occupational medicine, caring for their health condition should be a priority and include measures aimed at preventing cardiovascular diseases. The study aimed at determining the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors in employees of a large hospital and assessing their effect on the incidence of cardiovascular events.
Materials And Methods:
The group comprised 3124 employees with a mean age of 36.1 years (SD = 11.4), out of whom 562 were males (mean age of 37.1 years, range: 18-72; SD = 12.26) and 2562 were females (mean age of 35.9 years, range: 18-68; SD = 11.24). At their initial examination, the employees filled in a questionnaire on basic CVD risk factors (according to valid recommendations). This was supplemented with objective data to determine the risk of CVD using valid charts. From this group, a subset of persons at a high or intermediate risk was selected, comprising 247 individuals with a mean age of 54.1 years (SD = 5.73). After 5-9 years (mean 7.24±1.38 years), they either underwent another examination or their health status was ascertained by phone or in a computer database. The end point was the incidence of cardiovascular events (sudden death, acute myocardial infarction, unstable angina pectoris, percutaneous coronary intervention, cardiac failure, stroke or transient ischemic attack).
Results:
The end point was noted in a total of 15 males (6.07%) and 6 females (2.42%), being statistically significantly present in managers (males p < 0.00007, females p < 0.00001), male physicians/surgeons (p < 0.025), tertiary-educated males (p < 0.0095), female smokers (p < 0.015), male ex-smokers (p < 0.007), overweight or obese males (p < 0.02) and those with the waist-to-hip ratio above 1.0 (p < 0.005).
Conclusions:
Cardiovascular events are most likely to occur in obese male physicians/surgeons holding managerial positions and in female managers.
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