What disease can shift work lead to?

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A scientific article published in the journal Scientific Reports notes that shift work increases the risk of developing reflux esophagitis. In other words, it is an inflammation of the esophageal mucosa.

Min-Woo Nam from Sungkyunkwan University in Seoul (South Korea) and his colleagues studied how shift work and reflux esophagitis are related, writes MedicalExpress. To do this, experts analyzed data on 140,553 people (average age – 37.9 years).

Over 469,217.2 person-years of observation, 35,185 cases of reflux esophagitis were identified. Scientists also found that the risk of developing this disease was higher in those who worked shifts. The connection between these factors was stronger in participants aged 18 to 39, and even in working women.

These study results are explained by the fact that the main functions of the gastrointestinal tract depend on the circadian rhythm. In people who work shifts, eating usually occurs irregularly due to the work schedule. That is, they skip main meals and eat more at night.