Shift work was associated with a 30% increased risk of all-cause dementia compared with non-shift work.

Recently, the team of Tang Yamei, professor of neurology at Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University, found that compared with non-shift work, shift work increased the risk of all-cause dementia by 30%, and this relationship did not change due to genetic susceptibility. The research is published online in BMC Medicine.

Previous observational studies have found that shift work can increase the risk of metabolic disorders, cancer and cardiovascular diseases through mechanisms such as affecting sleep time and biological clock rhythm. However, there is no consistent conclusion on whether shift work is associated with the onset of dementia.

This study is a prospective cohort study, recruiting community members from 2006 to 2010, selecting subjects who were working at baseline and without cognitive impairment or dementia. Based on self-reported work shifts at baseline, they were divided into non-shift work groups and shift work groups. With a mean follow-up of 12.4 years, the primary outcome was all-cause dementia, and the secondary outcome was dementia subtype including Alzheimer's disease, vascular dementia, and other types of dementia .

The results showed that shift work was associated with a 30% increased risk of all-cause dementia compared with non-shift work. There was no significant interaction between shift work and genetic susceptibility to dementia.

This study has important public health implications and suggests that relevant occupational health management policies should be formulated in the future to improve the long-term health and quality of life of shift workers.

Related paper information:

https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-022-02667-9

(Original title "Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University finds that shift work increases the risk of dementia")