Recent studies confirm that employees who earn low wages are much more likely than higher-paid workers to suffer severe financial trauma when they are injured on the job. Now, a new study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finds that hypertension or high blood pressure is also linked to low wages.
The results of the study were presented recently in the European Journal of Public Health. This isn’t the first time that researchers have been able to make the connection between low social economic status and high blood pressure. However, this is the first time that researchers have been able to connect hypertension and low wages.
The research does not explain why workers who have low wages seem to have a greater risk of hypertension. However, there are some interesting and credible theories. For instance, a worker’s wages are linked very strongly to a sense of self-worth. A person who earns low wages could suffer from low self-esteem and low feelings of self-worth, and that could raise the risk of hypertension.
Lower wages also increase financial stress for families who may not be able to meet all their needs on a tight budget. Greater financial stress may also increase the likelihood of hypertension.
Interestingly, female workers and young workers, and not just older male workers, suffer from hypertension
Hypertension can lead to a range of health problems, including cardiovascular disease, which increases a person’s risk of stroke and heart attack. For a low-wage worker enduring these medical conditions, the financial stress can be enormous.
Michael Parsons is an Atlanta workers’ compensation lawyer, representing injured workers in the metro Atlanta region and helping them recover the workers’ compensation benefits that they have earned.