Cardiovascular Disease and Occupational Factors

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. Among the many conditions that make up CVD are coronary heart disease, stroke (damage to the brain caused by a blood clot or intracerebral bleeding), and other diseases of the heart such as arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, and heart valve problems. CVD is the leading cause of death in the United States ¹.and worldwide ². Health behaviors and factors that define cardiovascular health have been characterized ³. While it has been shown that more than half of those with CVD (53%) are less than 60 years old, and circulatory diseases are a leading cause of death and permanent disability among workers ^{4, 5}, much is unknown about how occupational risk factors contribute to CVD. NIOSH researchers are investigating a wide variety of occupational factors potentially related to CVD. Some of NIOSH’s current areas of study, which address a range of workers, risk factors, and challenging research questions, are highlighted in this Topic Page.