People who are worried about losing their job may have an increased risk of developing asthma for the first time, the results of a new study suggest.

According to German scientists, their findings back up other studies which have found a link between asthma and stress, especially work-related stress.

They looked at over 7,000 working adults who took part in a wide-ranging survey in 2009 and 2011 - a time of major recession throughout Europe. All of the participants were asked in 2009 about the likelihood of them losing their job over the next two years.

The study found that those who felt more likely to lose their jobs tended to be a bit younger, with lower levels of education and a lower income, compared to those who felt less likely to lose their jobs.

Furthermore, those who were more worried were more likely to be single, depressed and on non-permanent contracts.

However, after taking all of these issues into account, the scientists still found that those with more fears about losing their job had a higher risk of developing asthma.

For every 25% increase in the perceived threat of losing a job, the risk of asthma increased by 24%. Among those who were the most afraid of losing their jobs, the risk of asthma increased to 60% compared to those with no job loss fears.

The team from the University of Dusseldorf said that their findings are ‘consistent with epidemiological studies, which have shown that psychological stress, in particular work-related stress, may be risk factors for new onset asthma'.

Details of these findings are published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health.

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