National health records reveal how cardiovascular diseases are considered epidemic in China at present. Experts say people can blame this to lifestyle change, acceleration of human's aging process, and also the urbanization of life itself. But do you know that there is still another factor, which can contribute to the risk of having this deadly disease?
"These stressful events are related to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease in a dose-response manner. In other words, the greater the exposure to the bullying or violence, the greater the risk of cardiovascular disease," Tianwei Xu, the lead author and a Ph.D. student at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, shared.
The study, which was published in the European Heart Journal, revealed people who constantly feel anxious or stressed because of being bullied at work are more likely to suffer cardiovascular disease by 120 percent as compared to those who don't deal with this social problem that much. Furthermore, people who witness workplace violence every day tend to be more at risk of suffering stroke by 36 percent, according to The Sun.
The experts were able to found out these truths after looking through 79,201 people's health information from Sweden and Denmark's database from 1995 to 2011. These people, who are aged 18 to 65 years old, were said to have no history of any heart disease.
During their study, all the participants were asked if they have been bullied or have experienced violence while they are at work. Aside from that, researchers also measured several factors, which can affect their heart negatively, such as the participant's body mass index, smoking habits, alcohol consumption, mental disorders, health condition, and even their occupation.
Experts found out that among the participants, nine percent were victims of bullying and 13 percent of them have experienced violence in their work this year, as posted by Health 24.
The results also showed how 59 percent of those who experience bullying tend to be more at risk of heart diseases as compared to the 29 percent of those who witness violence in their workplace.
The lead author also added how "workplace bullying and workplace violence are distinct social stressors at work," which could dramatically increase the stress rate of a person-- one of the main factors why people tend to suffer strokes and cardiovascular diseases.
Xu further exclaimed that through this study, scientists will now be able to lessen the risks of acquiring cardiovascular diseases in the future: Removing violence at work can help our people be free from the bondage of cardiovascular diseases by three percent, and the eradication of bullying can help decrease the risk by five percent.
