Job strain and the risk of stroke: an individual-participant data meta-analysis

Summary

Background and Purpose:Psychosocial stress at work has been
proposed to be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. However, its role as a
risk factor for stroke is uncertain.

Methods:We conducted an individual-participant-data
meta-analysis of 196 380 males and females from 14 European cohort studies to
investigate the association between job strain, a measure of work-related
stress, and incident stroke.

Results:In 1.8 million person-years at risk (mean follow-up
9.2 years), 2023 first-time stroke events were recorded. The age- and
sex-adjusted hazard ratio for job strain relative to no job strain was 1.24
(95% confidence interval, 1.05;1.47) for ischemic stroke, 1.01 (95% confidence
interval, 0.75;1.36) for hemorrhagic stroke, and 1.09 (95% confidence interval,
0.94;1.26) for overall stroke. The association with ischemic stroke was robust
to further adjustment for socioeconomic status.

Conclusion:Job strain may be associated with an increased
risk of ischemic stroke, but further research is needed to determine whether
interventions targeting job strain would reduce stroke risk beyond existing
preventive strategies.