Too much stress at work can lead to stroke

Too much pressure at work increases risk of stroke, and those with senior jobs are at greater risk, according to a Danish study.

The study conducted on men found that those in a higher social class, with a good education and senior position at work - who were also put under consistent psychological stress - were 1.4 times more likely to have a stroke.

Scientists who carried out the study said that 10 per cent of strokes in this group could be attributed to too much pressure at work, the Daily Mail reported.

The rest of the strokes were related to other risk factors, such as smoking, high blood pressure and diabetes.

The study followed 5,000 men aged 40 to 59 living in Copenhagen, from 1970 for three decades (until 2001).

The men were asked if they were ‘rarely’ or ‘regularly’ stressed out in the workplace.

Over 30 years of research, 779 men suffered a stroke while 167 workers died from one.

The results were remarkably different when it came to the position each man held in the pecking order at work.

No link was found between psychological stress at work and men in the two lowest classes.

The risks were higher for younger men in senior roles as they were likely to be exposed to stressful conditions or bosses for most of their career.

Men in higher social classes tended to have jobs with more status, causing increased mental stress. Fewer men in the lower classes reported regular psychological trauma.