Hearing loss (HL) is linked to an elevated risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The pathogeneses of HL and CVD commonly involve inflammatory responses. Previous studies investigated elevated levels of inflammatory biomarkers in subjects with HL, however, their findings did not demonstrate statistical significance. In our cross-sectional and longitudinal study, we investigated the correlation between HL and increased high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) levels to determine how HL is associated with CVDs.
We conducted a cross-sectional study with workers aged over 18 years who underwent health check-ups at our institution between 2012 and 2018 (n = 566,507), followed by conducting a longitudinal study of workers aged > 18 who underwent health checkups at least twice at our institution between 2012 and 2018 (n = 173,794). The definition of HL was as an average threshold of ≥ 20 dB in pure-tone air conduction at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz in both ears. The incidence of increased hsCRP levels throughout the follow-up period was defined as a level exceeding 3 mg/L. Logistic regression and generalized estimating equations were performed to estimate the risk of increased hsCRP levels according to the occurrence of HL in groups stratified by age.
In the cross-sectional study, the multivariate-adjusted odds ratio (OR) was 1.17 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.02–1.34); the OR was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.80–1.22) in those under 40 and 1.28 (1.08–1.53) in those over 40. In the longitudinal study, the multivariable-adjusted OR was 1.05 (95% CI: 0.92–1.19); the OR was 1.10 (95% CI: 0.90–1.35) in those under 40 and 1.20 (1.01–1.43) in those over 40.
This cross-sectional and longitudinal study identified an association between HL and increased hsCRP levels in workers aged over 40 years.
This study assessed the association between shift work and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) level, a risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), in female workers in electronics manufacturing services (EMS).
Female EMS workers who received special medical examinations for workers in Gyeongnam, Korea between January 2017 and December 2017 were enrolled in this study. Their age, marital status, education level, alcohol consumption, smoking habit, regular exercise, quality of sleep, work stress, and depression were investigated, and blood tests were conducted. The t- and χ2 tests were conducted to compare the general and biochemical characteristics between daytime and shift worker groups. Age-adjusted partial correlation analysis was performed to examine the linear relationship between hs-CRP level and other risk factors for CVDs. In addition, the difference in hs-CRP levels according to work schedule was analyzed by ANCOVA after adjusting for variables that could affect the hs-CRP level.
Although the average hs-CRP levels did not differ significantly between daytime and shift workers (0.92 ± 1.87 and 1.07 ± 2.20 mg/dL, respectively), shift workers tended to show a higher hs-CRP level (
The results of this study identified a relationship between shift work and hs-CRP level increase in women. Because multiple studies have reported associations between increased hs-CRP and CVD, follow-up of hs-CRP may help early detection of CVD in shift workers.
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This study aimed to determine the association between shift work and inflammatory markers, which are independent risk factors of cardiovascular diseases, in male manual workers at a display manufacturing company.
This study was conducted between June 1 and July 31, 2015 on 244 male manual workers aged 20–39 years old at a display manufacturing company and investigated age, marital status, education level, alcohol consumption habit, smoking habit, regular exercise habit, sleep duration, sleep debt, sleep insufficiency, past medical history, current and past shift work experience, duration of shift work, and weekly work hours through face-to-face interviews using structured questionnaires and performed blood tests. Study participants were divided into daytime, former shift, and current shift workers based on the work schedule. Chi-square tests and one-way analyses of variance were performed to compare inflammatory markers and cardiovascular disease risk factors, and analyses of covariance were conducted after adjusting for variables potentially affecting inflammatory markers.
High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP; mean ± standard deviation) levels in daytime, former shift, and current shift workers were 0.65 ± 0.43, 0.75 ± 0.43, and 0.86 ± 0.72 mg/L, respectively (
A significant association between shift work and increases in inflammatory markers was confirmed. Because chronic low-grade inflammation plays an important role in the development of cardiovascular diseases, regular follow-up of inflammatory markers as a marker of cardiovascular diseases in shift workers may serve as an early indicator in predicting the effects of shift work on health.
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