Meta-Analysis of Relation of Vital Exhaustion to Cardiovascular Disease Events

To assess the net impact of vital exhaustion on cardiovascular events and all-cause mortality, we conducted a systematic search of PubMed, EMBASE and PsychINFO (through April 2016) to identify all studies which investigated the relationship between vital exhaustion and health outcomes. Inclusion criteria were, (1) a cohort study (prospective cohort or historical cohort) consisting of adults (>18 years); (2) at least one self-reported or interview based assessment of vital exhaustion or exhaustion, (3) evaluated the association between vital exhaustion or exhaustion and relevant outcomes, and (4) reported adjusted risk estimates of vital exhaustion/exhaustion for outcomes. Maximally adjusted effect estimates with 95% confidence intervals along with variables used for adjustment in multivariate analysis were also abstracted. Primary study outcome was cardiovascular events. Secondary outcomes were stroke and all-cause mortality. Seventeen studies (19 comparisons) with a total of 107,175 participants were included in the analysis. Mean follow-up was 6 years. Vital exhaustion was significantly associated with an increased risk for cardiovascular events [relative-risk: 1.53, 95% CI: 1.28 – 1.83, p