[Night work and health of nurses and midviwes--a review].

Nov 23, 2013Medycyna pracy

Night Work and Health in Nurses and Midwives

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Circadian Biology on OpenScience ↗PubMed ↗

Abstract

Night shift work is associated with a higher risk of obesity/overweight in nurses and midwives.

26 original papers were identified, including studies on various health issues related to night shift work.
Five studies specifically linked night shift work to obesity/overweight, with statistically significant results even after adjusting for confounders.
There are suggestive associations between night shift work and type 2 diabetes as well as menstrual disorders.
Data on other health issues, such as digestive diseases, metabolic syndrome, and cardiovascular diseases, are less certain due to inconsistent results or small sample sizes.
Further prospective studies are recommended to clarify potential causal links between night work and health outcomes.

AI simplified

Night shift work has been thought to play a role in the etiology of chronic diseases through a disruption of the circadian rhythm, decreased synthesis of melatonin and sleep deprivation. Our aim was to review the epidemiological studies on the association between night shift work and some pathologies in nurses and midwives. We reviewed publications available in the MEDLINE database and published before June 2012, describing the cross-sectional (almost two thirds of all papers) and cohort studies. In total, we identified 26 original papers, including 5 epidemiological studies addressing diseases or disorders of the digestive system, 3--metabolic syndrome, 2--type 2 diabetes, 9--cardiovascular diseases and (CVD risk factors, 5--obesity/overweight, 2--menstrual disorders and 3--poor pregnancy outcomes. The analysis of the literature indicates that night shift work of nurses and midwives is most strongly associated with a higher risk ofobesity/overweight. In each of the five studies, which we identified this association was observed (confirmed by the statistical significance of the results), also after adjustment for confounders. The results for type 2 diabetes and disorders of the menstrual cycle are also suggestive. Epidemiological data on the other disorders or pathologies discussed in this article seem to be less certain - their results are inconsistent or their number is too small to draw definite conclusions. Further epidemiological studies of nurses and midwives working on night shifts and prospective observations in particular are recommended to find out whether potential association between the night work and discussed health issues is causal.

[Night work and health of nurses and midviwes--a review].

Abstract

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