Night-shift work and susceptibility to infectious diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Loef, Bette Bosma, Esmee van Kerkhof, Linda WM Proper, Karin I van Baarle, Debbie Dollé, Martijn ET
Loef, Bette
Bosma, Esmee
van Kerkhof, Linda WM
Proper, Karin I
van Baarle, Debbie
Dollé, Martijn ET
Series / Report no.
Open Access
Type
Article
Language
en
Date of publication
2025-04-06
Year of publication
Research Projects
Organizational Units
Journal Issue
Title
Night-shift work and susceptibility to infectious diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Translated Title
Published in
Scand J Work Environ Health 2025; 51(4):298-311
Abstract
A growing body of research on infection susceptibility among night-shift workers has emerged, particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. However, a comprehensive overview is still lacking. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesize the evidence on the association between night-shift work and susceptibility to infectious diseases.
Embase and PsycINFO were systematically searched for studies published up to September 2024. Studies were included if they comprised a working population, night-shift workers were compared to non-shift workers, and the outcome was an infectious disease. Results were descriptively synthesized for common respiratory infections (flu and common cold), SARS-CoV-2 infection, and other infections. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using random-effects meta-analysis.
In total, 16 articles describing 14 studies among 191 320 workers were included. Based on 4 studies, night-shift work was not associated with a significantly increased risk of common respiratory infections [odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97-1.27, I=65.8%[. However, night-shift workers had a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than non-shift workers (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.58, I=92.2%, N=10 studies). This association was stronger in higher-quality studies and studies conducted in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For other infections, insufficient studies were available to conduct a meta-analysis. The certainty of evidence was graded very low due to a limited number of (prospective cohort) studies and high inconsistency in the available studies.
This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that night-shift work was associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not of common respiratory infections. To address the lack of high-certainty evidence, more studies are needed that apply a prospective design with appropriate adjustment for confounding factors and more extensive information on night-shift work exposure.
Embase and PsycINFO were systematically searched for studies published up to September 2024. Studies were included if they comprised a working population, night-shift workers were compared to non-shift workers, and the outcome was an infectious disease. Results were descriptively synthesized for common respiratory infections (flu and common cold), SARS-CoV-2 infection, and other infections. Pooled effect estimates were calculated using random-effects meta-analysis.
In total, 16 articles describing 14 studies among 191 320 workers were included. Based on 4 studies, night-shift work was not associated with a significantly increased risk of common respiratory infections [odds ratio (OR) 1.11, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.97-1.27, I=65.8%[. However, night-shift workers had a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than non-shift workers (OR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09-1.58, I=92.2%, N=10 studies). This association was stronger in higher-quality studies and studies conducted in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. For other infections, insufficient studies were available to conduct a meta-analysis. The certainty of evidence was graded very low due to a limited number of (prospective cohort) studies and high inconsistency in the available studies.
This systematic review and meta-analysis showed that night-shift work was associated with an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection, but not of common respiratory infections. To address the lack of high-certainty evidence, more studies are needed that apply a prospective design with appropriate adjustment for confounding factors and more extensive information on night-shift work exposure.