Journal Article

Night-shift work and susceptibility to infectious diseases: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Proper, Karin I, Dollé, Martijn ET, Loef, Bette, Bosma, Esmee, van Baarle, Debbie, van Kerkhof, Linda WM

2025

Overview

OBJECTIVES: 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. METHODS: 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. RESULTS: 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 2 =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 2 =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. CONCLUSIONS: 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.

• Publisher: Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health,Nordic Association of Occupational Safety and Health (NOROSH)
• Subject: Communicable Diseases - epidemiology / covid-19 / COVID-19 - epidemiology / Disease Susceptibility - epidemiology / Humans / infection / infectious disease / meta-analysis / night shift / night work / night-shift work / respiratory infection / Review / SARS-CoV-2 / shift work / Shift Work Schedule - adverse effects / systematic review