Stress and cardiovascular disease: could working better mean less stroke?
SimonaLattanzi, MD, Department of Experimental and Clinical Medicine, Marche Polytechnic Universityalfierelattanzisimona@gmail.com
Mauro Silvestrini, Ancona, Italy
Submitted November 04, 2015
We read with interest the meta-analysis by Huang et al. evaluating the relationship between work-related stress and incident stroke. [1] The authors found that high strain in work was associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke, especially of ischemic subtype and among women.
Although many issues should be further explored (i.e. the impact of individual psychological traits) before drawing definitive conclusions, the correlation between work-stress and unhealthy lifestyles (i.e. physical inactivity, poor eating habits, higher smoking or alcohol consumption), and the interactions between job demand-control and working-hours or working-environment, [2] highlight the holistic perspective of the "psycho-neuro-endocrino-immune network" against the traditional thought of each system as independent of each other. [3]
The real challenge will be to characterize and understand which and how neurotransmitters, hormones, and cytokines influence autonomic balance, metabolic derangement, and inflammation. Meanwhile, any intervention targeting reduction and control of job strain will be welcomed.
1. Huang Y, Xu S, Hua J, et al. Association between job strain and risk of incident stroke: a meta-analysis. Neurology Epub 2015 Oct 14.
2. Kivimaki M, Jokela M, Nyberg ST, et al. Long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished data for 603838 individuals. Lancet Epub 2015 Aug 19.
3. Ziemssen T, Kern S. Psychoneuroimmunology--cross-talk between the immune and nervous systems. J Neurol 2007;254:II8-11.
For disclosures, please contact the editorial office at journal@neurology.org.
We read with interest the meta-analysis by Huang et al. evaluating the relationship between work-related stress and incident stroke. [1] The authors found that high strain in work was associated with a significantly increased risk of stroke, especially of ischemic subtype and among women. Although many issues should be further explored (i.e. the impact of individual psychological traits) before drawing definitive conclusions, the correlation between work-stress and unhealthy lifestyles (i.e. physical inactivity, poor eating habits, higher smoking or alcohol consumption), and the interactions between job demand-control and working-hours or working-environment, [2] highlight the holistic perspective of the "psycho-neuro-endocrino-immune network" against the traditional thought of each system as independent of each other. [3] The real challenge will be to characterize and understand which and how neurotransmitters, hormones, and cytokines influence autonomic balance, metabolic derangement, and inflammation. Meanwhile, any intervention targeting reduction and control of job strain will be welcomed.
1. Huang Y, Xu S, Hua J, et al. Association between job strain and risk of incident stroke: a meta-analysis. Neurology Epub 2015 Oct 14.
2. Kivimaki M, Jokela M, Nyberg ST, et al. Long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished data for 603838 individuals. Lancet Epub 2015 Aug 19.
3. Ziemssen T, Kern S. Psychoneuroimmunology--cross-talk between the immune and nervous systems. J Neurol 2007;254:II8-11.
For disclosures, please contact the editorial office at journal@neurology.org.