Police shift work is associated with increases in circulating white blood cells (WBCs), and some specific WBC types, an ongoing study has found.
Shift work “may lead to disruption of circadian-influenced components of the immune system,” which in turn may cause various chronic diseases, researchers wrote. Along with previous research, the findings “may provide evidence that shift work may lead to immune system dysregulation.”
The current study examined blood samples from 425 police officers enrolled in the Buffalo, NY Cardio-Metabolic Occupational Police Stress cohort.
The researchers cautioned that it’s not entirely clear whether the WBC increases “are due to overall increase in immune cells among shift workers, an abnormal circadian pattern of immune cells among shift workers, or increases in subclinical disease in shift workers.”
