Occupational Risk Factors for Cardiovascular Disease: A Comprehensive Review

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide, with occupational factors emerging as significant yet modifiable risk factors. This comprehensive review evaluates the association between various occupational exposures—including job stress, long working hours, shift work, physical activity at work, and exposure to hazardous substances—and CVD risk. Using the GRADE framework, we assessed the strength of evidence for each risk factor.

Job stress, long working hours, night shift work, and carbon monoxide exposure demonstrated moderate evidence linking them to increased CVD risk, while occupational noise, air pollutants, and extreme temperatures had limited evidence. Physical activity at work and exposure to toxic metals showed inconclusive findings due to inconsistencies and indirectness in study populations.

This review suggests that evaluating occupational exposures is essential for the early identification and management of individuals at elevated cardiovascular risk, and emphasizes that workplace interventions and health policies should prioritize reducing specific risk factors—such as job stress, long working hours, and hazardous exposures—to prevent CVD at both individual and population levels.