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Relationship between job stress and plasma fibrinolytic activity in male Japanese workers
M Ishizaki1, I Tsuritani, Y Noborisaka
1Department of Hygiene, Kanazawa Medical University, Ishikawa, Japan.
Insights
Psychosocial job stress impacts cardiovascular health by altering blood clotting and fibrinolysis. High job demands were linked to reduced tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity, suggesting a novel mechanism for stress-related heart disease.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Cardiovascular Medicine
- Hemostasis and Thrombosis
Background:
- Psychosocial job stress is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- The precise pathophysiological mechanisms linking job stress to CVD remain incompletely understood.
- Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for developing targeted preventive strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effect of job stress on blood coagulation and fibrinolysis parameters.
- To examine plasma fibrinogen, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) activities in relation to job stress.
- To elucidate the role of job stress in the development of CVD.
Main Methods:
- A study involving 213 middle-aged male workers in a computer factory.
- Job stress assessed using the Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ).
- Analysis of plasma fibrinogen, t-PA, and PAI-1 activities, with statistical significance testing (P < 0.05).
Main Results:
- Significant decrease in mean t-PA activity observed in workers with higher job demands (0.18 IU/ml) compared to those with lower demands (0.23 IU/ml).
- Borderline significant increases in plasma fibrinogen and PAI-1 activity with higher job decision latitude and job strain, respectively.
- Multiple regression revealed high job demands were independently associated with decreased t-PA activity, irrespective of traditional CVD risk factors.
Conclusions:
- Psychosocial job stress, particularly high job demands, influences fibrinolytic activity.
- Decreased t-PA activity due to job stress may represent a novel pathophysiological pathway linking stress to cardiovascular disease.
- Findings highlight the importance of addressing occupational stress for cardiovascular health.
Abstract:
Psychosocial job stress has been shown to be associated with the development of cardiovascular disease. However, the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying this relationship remain unclear. The aim of the present study was to elucidate whether marked job stress affects the parameters of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis, such as plasma fibrinogen concentration, tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), and plasminogen activator inhibitor 1 (PAI-1) activities, in 213 middleaged male workers in a computer-producing factory. Job stress was measured using a Japanese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) developed by Karasek. The mean t-PA activity in workers with lower and higher job demands was 0.23 and 0.18 IU/ml respectively, and this difference was significant (P < 0.05). The mean plasma fibrinogen in workers with lower and higher job decision latitude was 224.8 and 236.3 mg/dl respectively, and the mean PAI-1 activity in workers with lower and higher job strain was 14.9 and 17.7 U/ml respectively, though these differences remained at a borderline level of significance (0.05 < P < 0.10). Multiple regression analyses showed that the parameters of blood coagulation and fibrinolysis were closely associated with the cardiovascular risk factors of age, obesity, blood pressure, elevated serum lipids, and smoking, but that high job demands were significantly related to decreases in t-PA activity, independently of the traditional risk factors. These results suggest that psychosocial job stress may be related, at least partly, to the development of cardiovascular disease via changes in plasma fibrinolytic activity.