Health risks for female high-flyers

YOUNG women with stressful jobs could be at higher risk of heart disease, scientists warned yesterday.

While it is already known that high-flying jobs are linked to the condition, previous studies have largely focused on men.

In the latest study, women who said their work pressures were a little too high were 25 per cent more likely to suffer heart disease than those who said their job was manageable.

But those who said their work pressures were much too high were 35 per cent more likely to suffer after lifestyle factors, such as whether they smoked, were taken into account.

The research, published in the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, looked at the impact of work pressure on heart disease risk among 12,116 nurses.

The degree to which the women felt they had control over their jobs was also analysed by researchers.

The nurses were all aged between 45 and 64 at the start of the study in 1993.