| Title: | The association of night shift work with the risk of acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndrome: a longitudinal study of 204,261 UK Biobank participants |
| Journal: | Journal of Neurology |
| Published: | 19 Apr 2026 |
| Pubmed: | https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42001336/ |
| DOI: | https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-026-13827-9 |
Publication 17945
WARNING: the interactive features of this website use CSS3, which your browser does not support. To use the full features of this website, please update your browser.
Abstract
BackgroundShift work is highly prevalent globally, yet evidence linking it to ischemic cerebrovascular disease remains inconsistent. Existing studies are limited by unsystematic quantification of night shift exposure and outcome definitions failing to capture the clinical continuum of ischemic events. We performed a large prospective cohort study using refined shift pattern classification and acute ischemic cerebrovascular syndrome (AICS) as the primary end point to enable a robust evaluation of the association between shift patterns and ischemic cerebrovascular disease.Methods204,261 participants with employment information from the UK Biobank were included. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to assess associations between current shift work and AICS risk, with cross-classification by shift status and job duration. We further quantified average lifetime night shift frequency and cumulative duration among participants with complete occupational histories. Transient ischemic attack (TIA) and ischemic stroke (IS) were analyzed separately to identify the main driver of AICS and potential heterogeneity.ResultsDuring a median follow-up exceeding 14 years, irregular shift work was significantly associated with elevated AICS risk (HR 1.118, 95% CI 1.019-1.227, P = 0.019), while always night shift work was not (HR 0.904, 95% CI 0.707-1.157, P = 0.423). AICS risk was driven by irregular shift patterns rather than duration. Lifetime night shift frequency and duration showed significant dose-response relationships with AICS.ConclusionsIrregular shift work increases AICS risk relative to non-shift work, and lifetime night shift exposure exhibits a clear dose-response effect. IS constitutes the primary driver of the composite AICS end point.</p>
16 Keywords
- Adult
- Aged
- Biological Specimen Banks
- Brain Ischemia
- Female
- Humans
- Ischemic Attack, Transient
- Ischemic Stroke
- Longitudinal Studies
- Male
- Middle Aged
- Prospective Studies
- Risk Factors
- Shift Work Schedule
- UK Biobank
- United Kingdom
6 Authors
- Yanhao Huang
- Min-hui Tan
- Guanghui Wang
- Shenyao Liang
- Jun Lyu
- Li'an Huang
1 Application
| Application ID | Title |
|---|---|
| 104830 | A Study of influencing factors for cerebrovascular and neurodegenerative diseases |
Enabling scientific discoveries that improve human health