Work Stress / Asthma Link

Scientists from Heidelberg University in Germany have found that having a stressful job can increase the risk of developing asthma by 40 percent. Most asthma sufferers develop the condition in childhood, but increasing numbers are being diagnosed as adults.

The research team tracked 5,000 men and women aged between 40 and 65 over eight years and found that among those free of asthma at the start there was a 40 percent higher incidence of asthma eight years later if they suffered stress at work. Long working hours, demanding schedules and workplace discomfort contributed to stress.

Some 5.4million Britons have asthma and over a 1,000 die from the condition each year. The annual cost to the NHS is around £1billion.