A new report from London shows that more and more bankers in their 20s and 30s are developing heart problems due to work-related stress.
The Business Insider reports that the Barts Heart Centre in London has seen a 10 percent increase in heart attacks or heart-related illnesses over the past decade for bankers under the age of 30.
The increase in these incidents comes despite the fact that banks claim to have taken steps towards decreasing workloads for those beginning their careers. Their policy was adopted after the death of Moritz Erhardt in 2013, a 21-year-old Bank of America intern who had supposedly worked for 72 hours straight.
The most common heart conditions seen with young bankers are heart arrhythmia and myocarditis, which can lead to cardiac arrest. These conditions are worsened by work overload, stress, and drug abuse.
Drug abuse is also linked to the heart problems developed by some of the young bankers. In many corporate environments, a ‘work hard, play hard’ mentality is prevalent. Combining this lifestyle with the lack of sleep further increases their chances of falling seriously ill.
With the increase in the number of young professionals developing heart problems, many doctors have reached the conclusion that a lot of employees in investment banking are still being put under a lot of pressure, and that they don’t expect much to change. The doctors also suggested that more research into these young bankers’ working environments is needed so that a strong correlation between work and their heart conditions can be made.
Sources:
http://www.businessinsider.fr/us/bankers-20s-and-30s-heart-attacks-2018-7
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