Data from: Conflicts at work are associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease

Background: Only few authors have analyzed the impact of workplace conflicts and the resulting stress on the risk of developing cardiovascular disorders. The goal of this study was to analyze the association between workplace conflicts and cardiovascular disorders in patients treated by German general practitioners.
Methods: Patients with an initial documentation of a workplace conflict experience between 2005 and 2014 were identified in 699 general practitioner practices (index date). We included only those that were between the ages of 18 and 65 years, had a follow-up time of at least 180 days after the index date, and had not been diagnosed with angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, coronary heart diseases, or stroke prior to the documentation of the workplace mobbing. In total, this study consisted of 7,374 patients who experienced conflicts and 7,374 controls for analysis. The main outcome measure was the incidence of angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, and stroke correlated with workplace conflict experiences.
Results: After a maximum of five years of follow-up, 2.9% of individuals who experienced workplace conflict were affected by cardiovascular diseases, while only 1.4% were affected in the control group (p-value<0.001). Workplace conflict was associated with a 1.63-fold increase in the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Finally, the impact of workplace conflict was higher for myocardial infarction (OR=2.03) than for angina pectoris (OR=1.79) and stroke (OR=1.56).
Conclusions: Overall, we found a significant association between workplace conflicts and cardiovascular disorders.

背景：目前仅有少数研究者探讨了职场冲突及其引发的应激反应对心血管疾病（cardiovascular disorders）发病风险的影响。本研究旨在分析德国全科医师接诊患者中，职场冲突与心血管疾病之间的关联。
方法：研究从699家全科医师诊所中，筛选出2005年至2014年间首次记录存在职场冲突经历的患者，以该记录日期作为索引日期（index date）。本研究纳入标准如下：年龄介于18~65岁，索引日期后随访时长至少180天，且在记录职场霸凌（workplace mobbing）事件前未被诊断为心绞痛（angina pectoris）、心肌梗死（myocardial infarction）、冠心病（coronary heart diseases）或脑卒中（stroke）。最终本研究共纳入7374名曾经历职场冲突的患者，以及7374名对照个体用于分析。本研究的主要结局指标为与职场冲突经历相关的心绞痛、心肌梗死及脑卒中的发病率。
结果：最长随访5年后，经历职场冲突的受试者中2.9%罹患心血管疾病，而对照组仅为1.4%（P<0.001）。职场冲突与心血管疾病发病风险升高1.63倍显著相关。进一步分析显示，职场冲突对心肌梗死的影响（比值比[Odds Ratio]=2.03）高于心绞痛（比值比=1.79）与脑卒中（比值比=1.56）。
结论：总体而言，本研究证实职场冲突与心血管疾病之间存在显著关联。