Influence of permanent night work on the circadian rhythm of blood pressure

Abstract. Night workers exercise their labours activities and rest in contrary schedules to the chronobiological standards. This inversion leads the body to several adaptations, including changes in the circadian rhythm of blood pressure (BP). Objectives: To evaluate the BP in individuals who perform work at night, in order to objectively detail the BP circadian rhythm adaptations infixed night workers. Methods: A cross-sectional study enrolling 23 fixed night workers, both genders, was performed, with 24h BP measured with ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM) during a normal working day. Risk factors, anthropometric and lifestyle information were collected using a standard questionnaire. Results: Ambulatory BP demonstrated a pattern of adaptation to the sleep/activity cycle in all participants. BP dropped during the sleeping period (mean drop: -11.35±6.85) and was higher during the awakening period, reaching the highest results and greater BP variability during the working period. The chronobiological adaptation of the 24h BP was not dependent on sociodemographic or clinical characteristics. In addition, age, male gender, obesity, and those working less time were associated with higher BP mean values. Conclu-sions: The circadian rhythm of BP follows the working circadian profile of the individual.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

An investigation of factors associated with the health and well-being of HIV-infected or HIV-affected older people in rural South Africa

BackgroundDespite the severe impact of HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, the health of older people aged 50+ is often overlooked owing to the dearth of data on the direct and indirect effects of HIV on older people's health status and well-being. The aim of this study was to examine correlates of health and well-being of HIV-infected older people relative to HIV-affected people in rural South Africa, defined as participants with an HIV-infected or death of an adult child due to HIV-related cause. MethodsData were collected within the Africa Centre surveillance area using instruments adapted from the World Health Organization (WHO) Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE). A stratified random sample of 422 people aged 50+ participated. We compared the health correlates of HIV-infected to HIV-affected participants using ordered logistic regressions. Health status was measured using three instruments: disability index, quality of life and composite health score. ResultsMedian age of the sample was 60 years (range 50-94). Women HIV-infected (aOR 0.15, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.08-0.29) and HIV-affected (aOR 0.20, 95% CI 0.08-0.50), were significantly less likely than men to be in good functional ability. Women's adjusted odds of being in good overall health state were similarly lower than men's; while income and household wealth status were stronger correlates of quality of life. HIV-infected participants reported better functional ability, quality of life and overall health state than HIV-affected participants. Discussion and Conclusions The enhanced healthcare received as part of anti-retroviral treatment as well as the considerable resources devoted to HIV care appear to benefit the overall well-being of HIV-infected older people; whereas similar resources have not been devoted to the general health needs of HIV uninfected older people. Given increasing numbers of older people, policy and programme interventions are urgently needed to holistically meet the health and well-being needs of older people beyond the HIV-related care system. <br/