Despite the absence of a universal definition, shift work typically refers to work scheduled outside standard daytime hours. Previous studies have indicated that shift work leads to multiple adverse health effects, including cardiovascular disease (CVD) (Torquati et al., 2018), type 2 diabetes(Vetter et al., 2018), and depression (Xu et al., 2023). One potential mechanism behind these health consequences is circadian disruption, which plays a crucial role in regulating various physiological processes. Circadian disruption can result in metabolic and immune system dysfunction, potentially raising the risk of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) (Huang et al., 2023) as well as autoimmune diseases (Stenger et al., 2023). Furthermore, studies have shown a connection between immune disorders and MASLD, indicating that psoriasis patients are more likely to develop MASLD than the general population (Hu et al., 2024; Prussick & Miele, 2018). In addition to exacerbating skin diseases, MASLD is also linked to other immune-mediated conditions, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), affecting about one-quarter of patients affected globally(Navarro et al., 2023), and worsening outcomes in IBD patients(Noorian et al., 2021). These highlight the broader relation of metabolic dysfunction in immune-mediated diseases. Given the complex interactions between metabolic and immune systems, we argue that the true health impact of shift work may be underestimated. Therefore, we aim to explore the potential associations between shift work, autoimmune diseases, and MASLD.
Our specific research questions include:
1. How does shift work influence the risk of autoimmune diseases, such as SLE or psoriasis?
2. What is the impact of shift work on metabolic dysfunction and the development of MASLD?
3. Do autoimmune diseases modify or mediate the association between shift work and MASLD?
