Exploring the impact of night shift work on methylation of circadian genes

AbstractIntroductionShift work is associated with both mental, and physical ill health, including lung disease and infections. However, the impact of shift work on significant COVID-19 illness has not be assessed. We therefore investigated whether shift work is associated with COVID-19.Methods501,000 UK biobank participants were linked to secondary care SARS-CoV-2 PCR results from public health England. Healthcare workers and those without an occupational history were excluded from analysis.ResultsMultivariate logistic regression taking into account age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation index revealed that irregular shift work (OR 2.42 95%CI 1.92-3.05), permanent shift work (OR 2.5, 95%CI 1.95-3.19), day shift work (OR 2.01, 95%CI 1.55-2.6), irregular night shift work (OR 3.04, 95%CI 2.37-3.9) and permanent night shift work (OR 2.49, 95%CI 1.67-3.7) were all associated with positive COVID-19 tests compared to participants that did not perform shift work. This relationship persisted after adding sleep duration, chronotype, pre-morbid disease, BMI, alcohol and smoking. Work factors (proximity to a colleague combined with estimated disease exposure) were positively correlated with COVID-19 incidence (r2=0.248, p=0.02). If this was added to the model shift work frequency remained significantly associated with COVID-19. To control for non-measured occupational factors the incidence of COVID-19 in shift workers was compared to colleagues in the same job who did not do shift work. Shift workers had a higher incidence of COVID-19 (p<0.01).ConclusionsShift work is associated with a higher likelihood of in-hospital COVID-19 positivity. This risk could potentially be mitigated via additional workplace precautions or vaccination.

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The impact of night‐shift work on platelet function in healthy medical staff

Journal of Occupational Health ◽

10.1539/joh.2018-0027-fs ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 60 (4) ◽

pp. 324-332 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Tomoko Nakao ◽

Atsushi Yasumoto ◽

Suzumi Tokuoka ◽

Yoshihiro Kita ◽

Takuya Kawahara ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shift Work ◽

Platelet Function ◽

Medical Staff ◽

Night Shift ◽

Night Shift Work ◽

The Impact

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Shift work is associated with positive COVID-19 status in hospitalised patients

Thorax ◽

10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-216651 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. thoraxjnl-2020-216651

Author(s):

Robert Maidstone ◽

Simon G Anderson ◽

David W Ray ◽

Martin K Rutter ◽

Hannah J Durrington ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Shift Work ◽

Night Shift ◽

Uk Biobank ◽

Multivariate Logistic Regression ◽

Occupational History ◽

Night Shift Work ◽

Work Factors ◽

Hospitalised Patients ◽

Disease Exposure ◽

The Impact

IntroductionShift work is associated with lung disease and infections. We therefore investigated the impact of shift work on significant COVID-19 illness.Methods501 000 UK Biobank participants were linked to secondary care SARS-CoV-2 PCR results from Public Health England. Healthcare worker occupational testing and those without an occupational history were excluded from analysis.ResultsMultivariate logistic regression (age, sex, ethnicity and deprivation index) revealed that irregular shift work (OR 2.42, 95% CI 1.92 to 3.05), permanent shift work (OR 2.5, 95% CI 1.95 to 3.19), day shift work (OR 2.01, 95% CI 1.55 to 2.6), irregular night shift work (OR 3.04, 95% CI 2.37 to 3.9) and permanent night shift work (OR 2.49, 95% CI 1.67 to 3.7) were all associated with positive COVID-19 tests compared with participants that did not perform shift work. This relationship persisted after adding sleep duration, chronotype, premorbid disease, body mass index, alcohol and smoking to the model. The effects of workplace were controlled for in three ways: (1) by adding in work factors (proximity to a colleague combined with estimated disease exposure) to the multivariate model or (2) comparing participants within each job sector (non-essential, essential and healthcare) and (3) comparing shift work and non-shift working colleagues. In all cases, shift work was significantly associated with COVID-19. In 2017, 120 307 UK Biobank participants had their occupational history reprofiled. Using this updated occupational data shift work remained associated with COVID-19 (OR 4.48 (95% CI 1.8 to 11.18).ConclusionsShift work is associated with a higher likelihood of in-hospital COVID-19 positivity. This risk could potentially be mitigated via additional workplace precautions or vaccination.

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The Impact of Shift-Work and Night Shift-Work on Thyroid: A Systematic Review

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health ◽

10.3390/ijerph17051527 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 17 (5) ◽

pp. 1527 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Veruscka Leso ◽

Ilaria Vetrani ◽

Alessandra Sicignano ◽

Rosaria Romano ◽

Ivo Iavicoli

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Shift Work ◽

Night Shift ◽

Management Strategies ◽

Positive Association ◽

Thyroid Stimulating Hormone ◽

Hormonal Changes ◽

Night Shift Work ◽

Functional Changes ◽

The Impact

Thyroid hormones are regulated by the pituitary thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), whose secretion presents a circadian rhythmicity. Indeed, it is conceivable that shift- and night shift-work, affecting sleep-wake rhythms, may impact thyroid functionality. Therefore, the aim of the present review was to provide an overview on the association between shift- and night shift-work and thyroid hormonal changes and disease development. A systematic review of studies available in PubMed, Scopus, and ISI Web of Science databases was performed. A positive association between night shift-work and increased TSH concentrations was reported by most of the reviewed investigations. Inconclusive evidence was available on thyroid diseases. However, the limited number of studies, the noticeable heterogeneity in the shift-work scheduling, in terms of amount, duration, type of shift- or night shift-work, prevents easily integrating findings and extrapolating definite conclusions. Further investigation seems necessary to better define the relationship between shift schedules and different thyroid outcomes, and possible long-term implications of early functional changes. Overall, this may support the adoption of advanced risk assessment and management strategies aimed to achieve a safer workplace organization and a timely, responsible realization of all the benefits of a 24-h economy.

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The Impact of a Rigorous Multiple Work Shift Schedule and Day Versus Night Shift Work on Reaction Time and Balance Performance in Female Nurses

Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine ◽

10.1097/jom.0000000000000766 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 58 (7) ◽

pp. 737-743 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Brennan J. Thompson ◽

Matt S. Stock ◽

Victoria K. Banuelas ◽

Chibuzo C. Akalonu

Keyword(s):

Reaction Time ◽

Shift Work ◽

Night Shift ◽

Balance Performance ◽

Night Shift Work ◽

Work Shift ◽

Shift Schedule ◽

Female Nurses ◽

The Impact

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High risk of near-crash driving events following night-shift work

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ◽

10.1073/pnas.1510383112 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 113 (1) ◽

pp. 176-181 ◽

Cited By ~ 76

Author(s):

Michael L. Lee ◽

Mark E. Howard ◽

William J. Horrey ◽

Yulan Liang ◽

Clare Anderson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Shift Work ◽

Occupational Safety ◽

Motor Vehicle ◽

Night Shift ◽

Driving Performance ◽

Previous Night ◽

Shift Workers ◽

Night Shift Work ◽

The Impact

Night-shift workers are at high risk of drowsiness-related motor vehicle crashes as a result of circadian disruption and sleep restriction. However, the impact of actual night-shift work on measures of drowsiness and driving performance while operating a real motor vehicle remains unknown. Sixteen night-shift workers completed two 2-h daytime driving sessions on a closed driving track at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety: (i) a postsleep baseline driving session after an average of 7.6 ± 2.4 h sleep the previous night with no night-shift work, and (ii) a postnight-shift driving session following night-shift work. Physiological measures of drowsiness were collected, including infrared reflectance oculography, electroencephalography, and electrooculography. Driving performance measures included lane excursions, near-crash events, and drives terminated because of failure to maintain control of the vehicle. Eleven near-crashes occurred in 6 of 16 postnight-shift drives (37.5%), and 7 of 16 postnight-shift drives (43.8%) were terminated early for safety reasons, compared with zero near-crashes or early drive terminations during 16 postsleep drives (Fishers exact:P= 0.0088 andP= 0.0034, respectively). Participants had a significantly higher rate of lane excursions, average Johns Drowsiness Scale, blink duration, and number of slow eye movements during postnight-shift drives compared with postsleep drives (3.09/min vs. 1.49/min; 1.71 vs. 0.97; 125 ms vs. 100 ms; 35.8 vs. 19.1; respectively,P< 0.05 for all). Night-shift work increases driver drowsiness, degrading driving performance and increasing the risk of near-crash drive events. With more than 9.5 million Americans working overnight or rotating shifts and one-third of United States commutes exceeding 30 min, these results have implications for traffic and occupational safety.

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