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Association between exposure to heavy occupational lifting and cardiac structure and function: a cross-sectional analysis from the Copenhagen City Heart Study

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Abstract

To investigate cross-sectional associations between heavy occupational lifting and cardiac structure and function. Participants from the 5th round of the Copenhagen City Heart Study, aged < 65 years old, answering a questionnaire regarding occupational physical activity, heavy occupational lifting, use of anti-hypertensive and heart medication, and data on blood pressure, cardiac structure and function, from an echocardiographic examination, were included. Adjusted linear regressions and logistic regressions were applied to estimate the cross-sectional association between heavy occupational lifting and cardiac structure and function across all included participants and in groups stratified by hypertension status, and the risk for having abnormal values of cardiac structure and function. 2511 participants were included. The cross-sectional standardized associations between heavy occupational lifting and measures of cardiac structure and function showed a trends for raised left ventricular mass index (LVMi) (β 0.14, 99% CI − 0.03 to 0.31). The standardized associations stratified by hypertensive status showed significant associations between exposure to heavy occupational lifting and LVMi (β 0.20, 99% CI − 0.002 to 0.40) and a trend of a raised end-diastolic interventricular septal thickness (IVSd) (β 0.15, 99% CI − 0.03 to 0.33) among normotensives. Exposure to heavy occupational lifting increased the odds for an abnormal IVSd (OR 1.42, 99% CI 1.07–1.89). This cross-sectional study shows heavy occupational lifting to associate with indices of abnormal cardiac structure and function among normotensives, indicating an increased risk for cardiovascular disease.

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Availability of data and material

Requests for data should be applied to the steering group for the Copenhagen City Heart Study, which can be reached by contact to either Peter Schnohr or Jacob Louis Marott.

Code availability

Availability of coding for the statistical analysis can be delivered by request to Mette Korshøj.

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Acknowlegdements

The authors would like to thank Harald Hannerz and Andreas Holtermann for raising the initial idea of investigating occupational lifting as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in the Copenhagen City Heart Study, leading to this investigation of cardiac structure and function in relation to heavy occupational lifting. The project is funded by the Danish taxpayers, via the Danish Work Environment Research Foundation, Grant Number 20150067515.

Funding

The project is funded by the Danish taxpayers, via the Danish Work Environment Research Foundation, Grant Number 20150067515.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Mette Korshøj

  2. Department of Occupational and Social Medicine, Holbæk Hospital, A Part of Copenhagen University Hospital, Gl. Ringstedvej 4B, 4300, Holbæk, Denmark

    Mette Korshøj

  3. Department of Cardiology, Herlev & Gentofte Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Kristoffer Grundtvig Skaarup, Mats Christian Højbjerg Lassen, Niklas Dyrby Johansen & Tor Biering-Sørensen

  4. Copenhagen City Heart Study, Bispebjerg Frederiksberg Hospital, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark

    Jacob Louis Marott & Peter Schnohr

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  1. Mette Korshøj
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Contributions

MK designed the study, applied for and recieved funding. MK performed the statistical analyses and drafted the manuscript. KGS, MCHL and NDJ performed the data processing from raw material to data for statistical analyses. JLM merged the data and contributed to the statistical analyses. PS commented on the design for the study and the manuscript, as well as lead the initial data collection. TBS contributed to the drafting of the manuscript and supervised the interpretation of the statistical analyses.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mette Korshøj.

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Conflict of interest

Nothing to disclose.

Ethical approval

The Danish Data Protection Agency approved the Copenhagen City Heart Study (Approval No.: 2001-54-0280; 2007-58-0015, 2012-58-0004, HEH-2015-045, Isuite 03741), as well as the National Committee on Health Research Ethics approved the data collection (Approval No.: VEK: H-KF 01–144/01 31104).

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All participation was voluntary and conducted in agreement with the Declaration of Helsinki, and written consent from all participants were colledted prior to data collection.

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COI for all authors are attached.

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Korshøj, M., Skaarup, K.G., Lassen, M.C.H. et al. Association between exposure to heavy occupational lifting and cardiac structure and function: a cross-sectional analysis from the Copenhagen City Heart Study. Int J Cardiovasc Imaging 38, 521–532 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-021-02420-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10554-021-02420-y

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