Differences between fixed day shift workers and rotating shift workers ingastrointestinal problems: a systematic review and meta-analysis

摘要

This study comprised a review and compilation of literature to gain an in-depthunderstanding of the impact of rotating shift work on gastrointestinal health. PubMed,CINAHL, and the Cochrane Library were searched for studies published between January 1,1985, and June 30, 2020. Fixed day shifts were defined as work shifts that began between7:00 and 9:00 in the morning. Shifts beginning at any other time were classified asrotating shifts. A meta-analysis was performed using Comprehensive Meta-Analysis Software(CMA) version 3. In the end, 16 studies were included in the meta-analysis. An odds ratio(OR) of 1.56 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.24–1.95), indicating that gastrointestinalproblems are more common in rotating shift workers than in fixed day shift workers. Fourgastrointestinal problems, namely, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, indigestion,and peptic ulcers, were then analyzed separately. Significant differences between rotatingshift workers and fixed day shift workers were found only for indigestion and pepticulcers. For indigestion, the OR was 1.72 (95% CI: 1.28–2.30). For peptic ulcers, the ORwas 1.66 (95% CI: 1.19–2.30). Thus, research indicates that rotating shift work mayincrease the risk of gastrointestinal problems, particularly indigestion and pepticulcers.