Metabolic disorders and other diseases among shift workers – a review of current research

Introduction and objective Shift work has a number of negative effects on human health. It often leads to sleep deprivation, changes of circadian rhythm, level of physical activity and eating habits, and also increases the risk of development of metabolic disorders and gastrointestinal diseases. The aim of the study was to indicate and discuss the most common metabolic disorders and other gastrointestinal pathologies in the context of data from literature concerning shift workers. Review methods The effect of shift work on metabolic disorders in shift workers was assessed by searching reports from the last 10 years in the Medline database (http://www. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed) Brief description of the state of knowledge Numerous observations of shift workers unequivocally showed an increased risk of overweight, obesity and metabolic syndrome among this group. Increased waist circumference was characteristic of people working in this employment system in relation to units working only during the day. Many authors emphasized that there is a correlation between shift work and the risk of type 2 diabetes. Moreover, the risk of developing this disease was 9% higher in shift workers. It was found that sleep deprivation, which is typical of shift workers, may increase the level of glycated haemoglobin, HbA1c, and increase the risk of prediabetes. In addition, it is emphasized that sleep disorders occurring in shift workers also contribute to the development or aggravation of reflux disease. Summary The authors highlighted the need for introduction of multidirectional preventive measures among shift workers in order to reduce the negative effect of shift work on humanhealth. In terms of public health, taking into account the type of work performed is an important element of patient care in the field of professional practice of either occupational medicine physicians or general practitioners.