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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Sleep Sci 2023; 16(03): e368-e374
DOI: 10.1055/s-0043-1772810
Review Article

The Effects of Shift Work on the Immune System: A Narrative Review[*]

Marianne Stenbekk Thorkildsen 
1   Gemini Center for Sepsis Research at Institute of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
,
Lise Tuset Gustad 
1   Gemini Center for Sepsis Research at Institute of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
2   Faculty of Nursing and Health Sciences, Nord University, Levanger, Trøndelag, Norway
3   Department of Medicine and Rehabilitation, Levanger Hospital, Levanger, Trøndelag, Norway
,
Jan Kristian Damås 
1   Gemini Center for Sepsis Research at Institute of Circulation and Medical Imaging, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
4   Centre of Molecular Inflammation Research, Norwegian University og Science and Technology, Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
5   Department of Clinical and Molecular Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
6   Department of Infectious Diseases, St. Olavs Hospital, Trondheim, Trøndelag, Norway
› Author Affiliations Funding This work has received no funding.
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Abstract

Working a shift work schedule has been hypothesized to have negative effects on health. One such described consequence is altered immune response and increased risk of infections. Former reviews have concluded that more knowledge is needed to determine how shift work affects the immune system. Since the last review focusing on this subject was published in 2016, new insight has emerged. We performed a search of the topic in PubMed, Scopus and Embase, identifying papers published after 2016, finding a total of 13 new studies. The articles identified showed inconsistent effect on immune cells, cytokines, circadian rhythms, self-reported infections, and vaccine response as a result of working a shift schedule. Current evidence suggests working shifts influence the immune system, however the clinical relevance and the mechanism behind this potential association remains elusive. Further studies need to include longitudinal design and objective measures of shift work and immune response.

Keywords

shift work schedule - immune system - infections

* Lise Tuset Gustad and Jan Kristian Damås contributed equally to this paper.




Publication History

Received: 11 August 2022

Accepted: 23 November 2022

Article published online:
11 September 2023

© 2023. Brazilian Sleep Association. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commercial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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