Increased risk of acute myocardial infarction by approximately 1.63 times when working more than 11 hours a day...Need to prevent by improving working environment

Sep 19, 2025

Increased risk of acute myocardial infarction by approximately 1.63 times when working more than 11 hours a day...Need to prevent by improving working environment
Data=KCDC



Acute cardiac arrest is an emergency situation in which heart function is suddenly stopped and blood circulation stops, which can lead to sudden death in the absence of appropriate response. According to the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's statistics on acute cardiac arrest in 2023', the number of acute cardiac arrest cases in Korea has increased from 29,356 in 2013 to 33,586 in 2023, with more than 30,000 cases occurring every year.

The Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention distributed card news to raise awareness of heart health and induce the establishment of healthy lifestyles, confirmed that working environment and working hours are related to the occurrence of acute cardiac arrest, and urged active preventive management at work to protect heart health using the results of policy research service Cha Kyung-chul's team at Yonsei University's Wonju Severance Hospital.

According to the results of the study, diseases such as heart failure (adjusted odds ratio of 22.60), myocardial infarction (8.55), arrhythmia (2.79), stroke (2.85), diabetes (1.63), and hypertension (1.55) were identified as major risk factors for acute cardiac arrest. This means that people with the disease are more likely to develop acute cardiac arrest than those who do not. For example, a heart failure adjusted odds ratio of 22.60 means that people with heart failure are 22.6 times more likely to develop acute cardiac arrest than those without heart failure.




Increased risk of acute myocardial infarction by approximately 1.63 times when working more than 11 hours a day...Need to prevent by improving working environment
Data=KCDC
In addition, it was found that the type of work and working hours were related to the risk of acute cardiac arrest. Night and evening work and excessive continuous work have been shown to increase the risk of acute cardiac arrest, and a related foreign study showed that working more than 11 hours a day increases the risk of acute myocardial infarction by about 1.63 times compared to normal working hours (7-9 hours).

Acute myocardial infarction is known as one of the major risk factors for acute cardiac arrest, and these results suggest that long working hours may negatively affect heart health. Therefore, creating a healthy working environment and securing adequate rest are essential for the prevention of acute cardiac arrest.

Through this card news, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guides major risk diseases of acute cardiac arrest, risks depending on the type and time of work, and practical prevention rules in daily life and work. In order to prevent acute cardiac arrest, it is necessary to create a healthy working environment along with lifestyle management.




Prevention rules in daily life include ▲ quitting smoking and ▲ moderate or high-intensity exercise habits at least once a week, ▲ getting enough sleep for 6-8 hours a day, eating fruits and vegetables at least once a day, and ▲ reducing red meat consumption. It is important to refrain from ▲ excessive continuous work at work, minimize ▲ evening/night work, and secure sufficient rest and sleep after ▲ work to maintain a healthy lifestyle.

"Acute cardiac arrest can come without notice, but improving lifestyle and working environment increases preventability," said Lim Seung-kwan, head of the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "Social attention and practice are needed not only for individual health but also for creating a healthy working environment in the workplace. As much as keeping safe, we need to take care of workers' heart health," he said.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.