Employees who are fond of working overtime (OT) or those with work hours longer than usual are more likely to have strokes, according to a review recently published in The Lancet journal.

Stroke is due to interruption of blood supply in the brain. According to the World Health Organization, adverse effects of stroke depend on the affected brain area, and severe cases could lead to death.

To determine whether long working hours could lead to stroke, researches from the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London conducted a meta-analysis of published and unpublished data covering 603,838 individuals in Europe, USA, and Australia. Meta-analysis is a statistical technique which combines findings from independent studies to generate precise conclusions.

The result of the study states that employees who have longer working hours, 55 hours or more per week, have higher risk for stroke compared to those with standard working hours of 35-40 hours per week.

The researchers stated that the basis for the result is uncertain; but physical inactivity and repetitive triggering of stress can be important causes of stroke in these workers. They also added that heavy alcohol consumption is also a risk factor as employees working long hours seem to be slightly more prone to risky drinking.

“Evidence [also] suggests that individuals who work long hours are more likely to ignore symptoms of disease and have greater prehospital delays… than those who work standard hours,” the researchers added.

This study provided the strongest indication of the causal association between working hours and stroke, pointed out Dr. Urban Janlert of the Umeå University Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine in an article also published in The Lancet.

Dr. Janlert emphasized the importance of good working conditions to people’s health. He explained that some of these circumstances such as climate conditions are difficult to change, but the length of a working day is a choice.

“Essentially, if long working hours present a danger to health, it should be possible to change them…the increase in risk is substantial. Long working hours are not a negligible occurrence,” Dr. Janlert emphasized.

Since the Bureau of Labor and Employment Statistics (BLES) pointed out in 2013 that most employed Filipinos (24.2 million out of 37.7 million employed) work longer than the 40 hours per week required, it should be valuable to consider that stroke might be a Filipino employee’s worst enemy.

The review entitled “Long working hours and risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis of published and unpublished data for 603,838 individuals” can be accessed at http://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736%2815%2960295-1.pdf. ■