A recent study has helped to establish a link between job strain and coronary heart disease.

The role of psychological factors, including personality type, psychological stress and cognition in the cause of coronary heart disease has already been analyzed in other studies. Of these factors, psychological stress has been the most widely analyzed factor. The association between job strain, high job demands, low work control and psychological stress has been widely investigated. Some studies have shown that the risk of heart disease doubles with job strain but other meta-analysis studies have shown that the risk is modest, approximately 40%.
In this study, job strain was measured with the help of a questionnaire. The participants were asked about the psychological nuances of their job and the median scores were calculated to assess job strain. The subjects were followed up for any cardiovascular event or death due to cardiovascular illnesses.
The study helped to establish a significant link between job strain and coronary heart disease. The unpublished data suggests that the link was weak while the published data pointed to the contrary. The associated risk factors such as age, sex, smoking, alcohol intake, socio economic status did not change the magnitude of the link between job strain and cardiovascular risk.
Reference: "Job strain as a risk factor for coronary heart disease: a collaborative meta-analysis of individual participant data;" Mika Kivimaki et al; The Lancet Online Publication (2012).
Source-Medindia