Occupational cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are diseases of the heart or blood vessels caused by working conditions, making them a form of occupational illness. These diseases include coronary heart disease, stroke, cardiomyopathy, arrythmia, and heart valve or heart chamber problems. Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and worldwide. In the United States, cardiovascular diseases account for one out of four deaths. The 6th International Conference on Work Environment and Cardiovascular Diseases found that within the working age population about 10-20% of cardiovascular disease deaths can be attributed to work. Ten workplace stressors and risk factors (shift work, long work hours, low job control, low job security, high job demand, work-family imbalance, low work social support, low organizational justice, unemployment, and no health insurance) were estimated to be associated with 120,000 U.S. deaths each year and account for 5-8% of health care costs.
Research related to the association between work and cardiovascular disease is on-going. Links have been established between cardiovascular disease risk and occupational exposure to chemicals, noise, psychosocial stressors, physical activity, and certain workplace organization factors. Additionally, work-related risk factors for cardiovascular disease may also increase the risk of other cardiovascular disease risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, unhealthy diet, leisure-time physical inactivity, and excessive alcohol use. Work may also increase risk of depression, burnout, sleeping problems, and physiological and cardiorespiratory stress mechanisms in the body which may also affect the risk for cardiovascular disease.
United States trends in cardiovascular disease and the impact of work
Age-adjusted cardiovascular disease death rates in the U.S. are no longer declining, as they previously had been since the 1960s. Cardiovascular disease death rates are increasing in older (45–64 years) working-age people. In fact, death rates from all causes have been increasing since about 2012 in working-age people (25–64 years), primarily due to increases in drug (mainly opioid) overdoses, alcohol abuse, suicides, and chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and diabetes. Between 2000-2015, the cardiovascular disease mortality gap between the U.S. and other wealthy countries has widened. These trends are occurring despite improvements in the medical treatment of cardiovascular diseases. Primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases, including workplace health promotion, is key to reducing death rates.
Related explanations for cardiovascular disease trends are increases in the prevalence of other stress-related (including work-related stress) conditions, obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and short sleeping hours. The age-adjusted prevalence of hypertension increased in the U.S. between 1988-2010 and increased again between 2010-2018 for most gender-race groups. Mental health disorders, including depression and anxiety, are increasing globally and in the U.S.
A 2021 National Academy of Sciences report points out that "social, economic, and cultural changes that have undermined economic security, intergenerational mobility, and social support networks can adversely affect cardiometabolic health through stress-mediated biological pathways and reduced access to care".
Recent research indicates working conditions that may be contributing to the cardiovascular disease trends in the U.S. include,
increases in
annual working hours
job stressors, such as low job control, job strain, and work-family conflict
income inequality
precarious employment (such as temporary or contract work) that involves inadequate pay, job insecurity, changes in working-time arrangements, loss of workers' rights and protections, lack of collective organization (such as unionization) decreases in union membership social mobility (movement of people upward or downward in society through job status, education level, income, etc.) work intensification through new technology and "lean production" techniques