• Global Burden of Disease
• Hypertension
• Coronary Artery Disease
• Epidemiology

Cardiovascular disease (CVDs) is a major social and economic problem because, despite advances in prevention and treatment, it is still the most common cause of death worldwide. According to WHO data, an estimated 17.9 million people died from CVDs in 2019, representing 32% of all global deaths. Individual CVD risk factors explain only about 50% of cases of these diseases. Epidemiological studies show that there are many other factors, including occupational and environmental factors, responsible for the development of CVD, among which the most commonly cited are long working hours, shift work, noise, stress and sedentary work.1

The question is, how common are these factors in the work environment, and, therefore, how much of a risk do they pose to workers’ health?

Currently, due to technological development and the globalisation of products and services, there is a greater need for continuous work, for 24 hours. In modern society, working time is no longer limited to hours spent at the workplace. In many occupations, work can be done at any time and in any place. Approximately 21% of the European, 17% of the US and 16% of the Australian workforce are regularly engaged in shift work, including night work.2

Work at night falls during the period of physiological sleep and the lowest ability to perform physical effort and mental work, and leads to a disruption of the rhythm of melatonin secretion, which is the biochemical coordinator of many rhythms in the body. It causes a set of disorders resulting from the reversal of the sleep–wake rhythm, causing, among others, sleep disturbances, which according to some authors, are also a risk factor for CVDs. The study by Huang et al based on data of 380 055 participants (55% women) from UK Biobank, aged 55.9 (8.1) years, with an average follow-up of 11.1 …