QUEBEC, Oct. 10 Most workers who suffer heart attacks return to work, but a Canadian study found those with chronic job stress double their risk of a second heart attack.
Study leader Chantal Brisson of the University of Laval in Quebec tracked a group of 972 participants ages 35 to 59 who had suffered a heart attack. Researchers tracked the subjects for six years.
The project defined a job as stressful if it combined high psychological demands -- heavy workload, intense intellectual activity and important time constraints -- and little control over decision-making -- lack of autonomy, creativity and opportunities to use or develop skills.
The researchers found 124 participants suffered a second heart attack and 82 experienced unstable angina for a total of 206 recurrent coronary heart disease events.
The study, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found people who reported high levels of stress at work during the first two interviews were twice as likely to fall victim to another coronary heart episode.
Copyright 2007 by UPI
