High levels of burnout (upper quintile) were associated with a significantly increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with lower levels (HR 1.79; 95% CI 1.05-3.04).
Cohort (n=8,838)
No
Does burnout increase the risk of incident coronary heart disease in apparently healthy employed adults?
Burnout is an independent risk factor for future incidence of coronary heart disease, with a significant threshold effect for those in the upper quintile of burnout scores.
Effect estimate: HR 1.79 (95% CI 1.05-3.04)
Objective Burnout is a negative affective state consisting of emotional exhaustion, physical fatigue, and cognitive weariness symptoms. This study was designed to evaluate prospectively the association between burnout and coronary heart disease (CHD) incidence and to test the possibility that this association is nonlinear. Methods Participants were 8838 apparently healthy employed men and women, aged 19 to 67 years, who came for routine health examinations at the Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center. They were followed up for 3.4 years on average. Burnout was measured by the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure. CHD incidence was defined as a composite of acute myocardial infarction, diagnosed ischemic heart disease, and diagnosed angina pectoris. Results During follow-up, we identified 93 new cases of CHD. Baseline levels of burnout were associated with an increased risk of CHD, after adjustment for various risk factors (hazard ratio = 1.41; 95% confidence interval = 1.08–1.85). In addition, we observed a significant threshold effect of burnout on CHD incidence. Participants who scored high on burnout (scores in the upper quintile of the Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure scores distribution) had a higher risk (hazard ratio = 1.79; 95% confidence interval = 1.05–3.04) of developing CHD on follow-up compared with others. Conclusions Burnout is an independent risk factor for future incidence of CHD. Individuals with high levels of burnout (upper quintile) have a significantly higher risk of developing CHD compared with those with low levels of burnout. Abbreviations CI = confidence interval CHD = coronary heart disease IHD = ischemic heart disease SMBM = Shirom-Melamed Burnout Measure BMI = body mass index ECG = electrocardiogram LDL = low-density lipoprotein
Toker et al. (2012) conducted a cohort in Healthy individuals (n=8,838). High levels of burnout (upper quintile) vs. Lower levels of burnout was evaluated on Coronary heart disease incidence (composite of acute myocardial infarction, diagnosed ischemic heart disease, and diagnosed angina pectoris) (HR 1.79, 95% CI 1.05-3.04). High levels of burnout (upper quintile) were associated with a significantly increased risk of developing coronary heart disease compared with lower levels (HR 1.79; 95% CI 1.05-3.04).