TDNet Discover

Background: Much of the world’s economy is reliant on employees that work outside of the typical 9 am-5 pm window. “Shift work” is the term used to identify the shifts these employees work, classifying them as outside the hours of 7 am to 6 pm. Many workers exposed to shift work suffer from adverse health outcomes that are still being discovered. Purpose: To identify the differences in physical health outcomes of shift workers in comparison to standard day workers. Methods: An evidence-based clinical review was performed by 3 independent researchers (AP, AW, and DS) as they implemented search and review procedures using specific limits, inclusion, and exclusion criteria to identify journal articles pertaining to the purpose of research. A quality assessment was utilized for the articles as part of the selection process. This was followed by data extractions on the final 3 studies for qualitative analysis. Results: The final 3 studies investigated the effect of shift work on multiple health conditions, with statistically significant linkages being found with hypothyroidism, atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, and breast cancer. An 11% increase in breast cancer risk with a 5% increase in risk for every 5 years of exposure to shift work was identified with a statistically significant p value and 95% confidence interval (CI). Increased TSH levels and a higher risk of developing subclinical hypothyroidism was also identified in shift workers in comparison to the day shift workers (p = 0.036). It was also found that exposure to shift work led to an increased risk of atrial fibrillation in the current working population with p values of 0.001, 0.003, and 0.013. Lastly, statistically significant evidence found a 13% increase in ischemic heart disease risk in shift workers, as well as a 5% increased risk in ischemic stroke, though these results were found to have a moderate risk of bias and may not be fully reliable. Conclusions: A correlation between shift work and increased cases of breast cancer, atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, ischemic stroke, subclinical hypothyroidism and elevated TSH levels were identified. Current evidence warrants the consideration of these risks when counseling patients on work schedules and health maintenance, though further studies on the topic are needed to better validate these findings. Future research should also be aimed at investigating the pathophysiology of shift work’s effect on the body. Due to the correlations identified through present research, patients should be properly informed by their providers on the relationship between shift work and adverse health conditions emerging from current literature.