Long hours at a desk job linked to high blood pressure, study

Long hours at a desk job linked to high blood pressure, study

According to a new study, office workers who spend long hours on the job are more likely to have high blood pressure, including a type that can go undetected during routine medical check-ups. The study was published in the journal Hypertension. High blood pressure affects nearly half of Americans ages 18 and older and is a primary factor in more than 82,000 deaths per year. Approximately 15-30 per cent of U.S. adults have a type of condition called masked hypertension, meaning their high blood pressure readings are normal during health care visits but elevated when measured elsewhere.

The new study, conducted by a Canadian research team, enlisted more than 3,500 white-collar employees at three public institutions in Quebec. These institutions generally provide insurance services to the general population. Compared with colleagues who worked fewer than 35 hours a week:

Working 49 or more hours each week was linked to a 70 per cent greater likelihood of having masked hypertension and a 66 per cent greater likelihood of having sustained hypertension- elevated blood pressure readings in and out of a clinical setting. The people working between 41 and 48 hours each week were linked to a 54 per cent greater likelihood of having masked hypertension and a 42 per cent greater likelihood of having sustained hypertension.

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