Work-related Cerebrovascular and Cardiovascular Diseases (WR-CVDs) in Korea

The effects of work on the heart are mediated by chemical, physical, and psychological stressors. It is standard clinical practice to assess personal risk factors such as cigarette smoking, hypertension, and cholesterol. Evaluation of a patient's acute symptoms and activity level at the time of presentation is also standard practice. However, clinicians typically do not assess workplace risk factors; nor do they usually identify the location and its possible exposures that may have contributed to the patient's symptoms. In Korea, work-related cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases (WR-CVDs) are among the most compensated cases, second only to work-related musculoskeletal disorders (WR-MSDs). The average accumulated insurance benefit per injured worker is an estimated USD 75,000, which is thought to have a major impact on the financial stability of insurers. Therefore, the present study was performed to 1) review the physicochemical agents of cardiovascular diseases in Korea, 2) review the effects of psychosocial factors such as work-related stress on WR-CVDs in Korea, and 3) discuss the concepts and perspectives of WR-CVDs in Korea by comparing with those in Japan.