A study has shown that staff working under significant stress and to tight deadlines run the risk of developing coronary heart disease. Those working hard to complete a task were six times more likely to have a heart attack in the next 24 hours than co-workers.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, reached these conclusions after studying the effect of stress on more than 3,500 people. The research investigate the number of first-time heart attacks in healthy people aged 45-70 during the 1990s.

Professor Andrew Steptoe, from the British Heart Foundation:

“It has been known for several years that severe anger can act as a short-term trigger in susceptible people. This study shows that stressful experiences both in and outside work can have the same detrimental effect on the heart.”

The study showed that being put in competitive situations at work doubled the risk and, perversely, being praised by the boss more than doubled the risk – though the researchers suggest this is probably because the praise is associated with meeting a pressurised deadline.

There was also a marked difference in how stress affected the different genders: Men were 80 per cent more likely to have a heart attack if they had experienced a conflict at work within the preceding 12 months. For women, a change in financial circumstances tripled their risk.

Brendan Barber, general secretary of the TUC, said:

“This research highlights the need for all employers to take workloads and working hours seriously. Britain has to move away from a ‘just-in-time culture’ to an organised and responsible approach to working time to protect the health and welfare of working people”.