Relationship between long-term shift work; night work; sleep deficiency and stroke: A systematic review and meta-analysis

• Published in: Sleep medicine Vol. 119; pp. 499 - 504
• Main Authors: Jin, Xiaxia, Yang, Yifan, Zhou, Feng, Dong, Wendi, Chang, Kaile, Liu, Xiaochun, Yan, Yongmei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 01.07.2024
• Subjects: Humans; Meta-analysis; Night shift; Risk Factors; Shift work; Shift Work Schedule - adverse effects; Sleep deficiency; Sleep Deprivation - complications; Stroke; Stroke - epidemiology; Stroke - etiology; Work Schedule Tolerance; Stroke; Sleep deficiency; Night shift; Risk factors; Shift work; Meta-analysis
• ISSN: 1389-9457; 1878-5506; 1878-5506
• DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2024.05.031

The association between shift/night work and the risk of stroke is not supported by strong evidence. This study aimed to obtain evidence of a potential relationship between shift/night shift work and the risk of stroke. We searched PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of science databases for eligible studies from inception to January 19, 2024. We followed the statement in the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Evaluations and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA). STATA 14.0 software was used for meta-analysis. A total of five studies involving 700,742 subjects were included in this meta-analysis. We found that shift/night workers had a 1.08 times higher risk of stroke than non-shift/night workers (RR: 1.08; 95 % CI: 1.05–1.10; P < 0.001). Shift/night work may be a risk factor for stroke. More objective prospective studies are needed to further support this result. •Normal sleep is essential for human health, but shifts/night shifts can cause biological clocks, sleep deprivation and induce various diseases such as coronary heart disease and sleep disorders.•Shift/night work leads to sleep deprivation and altered sleep patterns, the impact of which on stroke is not fully understood, but there is currently evidence of an association.•More and more people are engaging in shift/night work and in order to maintain a healthy workforce there is a need to better understand the relationship between shift/night work and the risk of stroke. However, there is still a lack of sufficient evidence to support it. Therefore, this article provides evidence-based support by providing a systematic account of this issue.