Shift Work and the Risk of Peptic Ulcer: A Systematic Review

Background: Recent studies show that the prevalence of gastrointestinal problems among shift workers is much higher than that of day workers. The present study was conducted to summarize the findings of previous related studies regarding shift work and peptic ulcers.Methods: This is a systematic review study in which observational studies with English full text were included. Three international databases including PubMed, Web of Science (Clarivate analytics) and Scopus were searched to find relevant articles. Searches were done on August 04, 2023. Related studies were identified, and then the required data were extracted and qualitatively synthesized.Results: The total number of potentially eligible articles retrieved was 73. Fifty-three titles, abstracts, and full text remained for further screening after the removal of duplicate records. Of these, 45 did not meet the inclusion criteria; finally, 8 articles were selected for qualitative synthesis. Of the eight included studies, five revealed a significant positive association between shift work and peptic ulcer. The difference in peptic ulcer prevalence was more than twice as high between shift workers and daytime workers in some studies.Conclusion: This systematic review identified a higher incidence of peptic ulcers among shift workers than day workers. It is necessary to provide a counseling system such as antiinflammatory dietary recommendations, modify food habits, highly support the job, and modify work structures to improve coping skills that may weaken the peptic ulcer disease prevalence among shift workers.