WEDNESDAY, Sept. 28, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Job stress is more than a hassle -- it could boost arterial inflammation rates, researchers say.
A Belgian study found that people with high work stress have elevated levels of a key blood-borne indicator of inflammation -- plasma fibrinogen.
Reporting in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers at Ghent University gave a questionnaire to 892 male workers aimed at assessing three components of perceived job stress -- psychological job stress, job control, and social support at work.
The researchers then compared the workers' indicators of job stress with levels of inflammation and infection markers.
They found that workers who felt they had little control over their jobs had increased levels of plasma fibrinogen -- a blood-clotting factor linked to heart attack and other cardiovascular problems. Job stress was unrelated to other inflammation markers -- C-reactive protein and serum amyloid A -- measured by the researchers.
The findings show that job control may be specifically related to plasma fibrinogen levels, the researchers said.
More information
The American Psychological Association has more about workplace stress.
