Night shifts may raise risk of asthma in women: Study

WOMEN who work nightshifts are more likely to suffer from moderate or severe asthma compared to women who work in the daytime, according to a study of more than 270,000 people.

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However, the study, published in ERJ Open Research, found no such link between asthma and working nightshifts in men. The risk of asthma in men did not alter according to whether they worked days or nights.

Women who only work nightshifts were around 50 per cent more likely to suffer from moderate or severe asthma compared to women who only work in the daytime.

"Asthma disproportionately affects women. Women generally have more severe asthma, and a higher rate of hospitalisation and death from asthma compared to men," said Dr. Robert Maidstone from the University of Manchester, UK.