Assessment of plasma homocysteine levels in shift healthcare workers

Submitted: January 26, 2016
Accepted: January 26, 2016
Published: January 26, 2016
Abstract Views: 749
PDF: 653
Publisher's note
All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Authors

Background. Previous studies have indicated an association between shift work and cardiovascular disease. Increased plasma homocysteine levels has been proposed as a cardiovascular risk factor independent of other conventional risk factors. Aims. Our aim is to verify the usefulness of plasma homocysteine as a screening test to prevent cardiovascular diseases in shift workers. Methods. Thirty rotating shift nurses and 28 daytime nurses have been submitted during 18 months to regular taking of arterial pressure and body weight. Venous blood was drawn to measure glycaemia, triglycerides, plasma cortisol level, HDL cholesterol, blood cell count, alanine-aminotransferase, aspartate- aminotransferasi, γ-GT, and plasma homocysteine. Results. No increase in average plasma homocysteine in rotating shift nurses, nor a higher frequency in hyperomocisteinemia than in daytime workers was found. A significant difference was observed in body weight and systolic blood pressure (p<0.05), which resulted higher in rotating shift workers than in daytime workers. A significant increase was observed in alanine-aminotransferase (ALT) among shift workers (p<0.05). Conclusions. Plasma homocysteine measurement should not be employed as a screening test for the prevention of cardiovascular disease in rotating shift workers.

Dimensions

Altmetric

PlumX Metrics

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Citations

How to Cite

Copertaro, Alfredo, Massimo Bracci, and Mariella Barbaresi. 2016. “Assessment of Plasma Homocysteine Levels in Shift Healthcare Workers”. Monaldi Archives for Chest Disease 70 (1). https://doi.org/10.4081/monaldi.2008.432.