Reduced Risks of Both Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Strokes in Nurses: A Population-Based Cohort Study in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Nurses are typically required to address patient emergencies, and they experience high stress levels in their work, which may expose them to a higher risk of stroke. This cohort study compared the risk of stroke between nurses and the general population. Methods: We used the Taiwan National Health Insurance database to conduct our retrospective cohort study, and we identified 83,641 individuals in the nurse group and 334,564 individuals in the control group. For the nurse group and the control group, we used the chi-square test in addition to applying Student’s t-test, in order to compare the distribution differences for the continuous variables. We estimated the hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke through univariate and multivariate Cox proportional-hazards regression models, with stratification according to age, sex, and comorbidity. Results: The nurse group had a lower risk of ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke in the crude model (HR = 0.66, 95% CI = 0.58–0.75; HR = 0.58, 95% CI = 0.47–0.72). After adjusting the prevalent variables, the nurse group still had a lower risk of stroke (HR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.60–0.77; HR = 0.59, 95% CI = 0.48–0.73). Conclusion: The risks of both stroke types were lower in the nurse group than in the control. For stroke prevention, more frequent physical examinations are needed in order to enhance the health and well-being of people, including the nurses.