Association between long working hours and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease: a nationwide population-based study in Korea.

OBJECTIVES: Long working hour is a known risk factor for metabolic diseases. We explored the association between working hours and metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD). STUDY DESIGN: Data on working hours among 22,818 workers (11,999 females) from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2013-2021) were used for this study. METHODS: MASLD was defined as a combination of hepatic steatosis combined with one or more of cardiometabolic risk factors (overweight/obesity, prediabetes/diabetes, raised blood pressure, hypertriglyceridemia, low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). Hepatic steatosis was assessed using the hepatic steatosis index. Logistic regression was used to estimate the odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of MASLD was 30.4% in men and 18.1% in women. Among male workers, 20.2% worked ≥55 h/week, whereas among female workers, 10.1% worked ≥55 h/week. Compared with working 35-40 h/week, working ≥55 h/week was positively associated with overweight/obesity (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.05-1.40), pre-diabetes mellitus (pre-DM)/DM (OR: 1.20; 95% CI: 1.04-1.38), raised blood pressure (OR: 1.17; 95% CI: 1.02-1.35), and presence of any cardiometabolic risk factors (OR: 1.56; 95% CI: 1.21-2.02). The adjusted OR (95% CI) of the association between working hours and MASLD was 1.27 (1.09-1.47) for ≥55 h/week compared with working 35-40 h/week in male workers. In female workers, long working hours were not clearly associated with cardiometabolic risk factors and MASLD. CONCLUSION: Long working hours are positively associated with MASLD among Korean male workers. Policy interventions are needed to mitigate the adverse metabolic effects of prolonged working hours.

Longitudinal analysis of age-related changes in intraocular pressure in South Korea.

PURPOSE: To assess the changes in intraocular pressure (IOP) with age in South Korea. METHODS: Subjects aged 20-79 who had been receiving health examinations at a university hospital were enrolled. They completed physical and ophthalmic examinations. Subjects with ocular disease that could possibly affect their IOP were excluded. The relationships between IOP and age, blood pressure, heart rate, body mass index, blood chemistry, and electrolyte were analyzed using a linear mixed model. RESULTS: Of the 33 712 subjects, 31 857 participants were enrolled. In a cross-sectional analysis, IOP also showed a negative correlation in all age groups (respectively, P<0.001). In particular, patients in their 60s~80s had a less steep decreasing slope of IOP with age than patients in their 20s~30s (correlation coefficient -0.260 and -0.168, respectively). In longitudinal analysis, negative trend was shown in the slope of tendency in total subjects. When analyzing the effect of gender on the relationship between age and IOP, females had a less steep decreasing slope of IOP with age than males by 0.05 mm Hg. With regard to systemic parameters, systolic blood pressure and heart rate were positively correlated with IOP (P<0.001). CONCLUSION: IOP was significantly decreased with age, although the amount of change was small. In women and older age groups, IOP was less decreased than that of men and young age groups. In addition, IOP was positively associated with systolic blood pressure and heart rate.