Hypertensive women, who work physically-demanding jobs, are three times more at risk of heart disease, according to a new study.

There have been previous studies that suggest physically-demanding jobs can raise the risk of heart disease for both men and women. Karen Allesøe, a PhD student at the University of Southern Denmark, and colleagues sought to determine if women with hypertension and highly active jobs are at higher risk of heart disease. The details of the research have been published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

"Previous research has shown that men and women with physically demanding jobs have an increased risk of heart disease," Allesøe said in a press release. "Lifting and carrying cause a rise in blood pressure and may put people with hypertension at particular risk of a cardiovascular event. We wanted to investigate whether women with hypertension and physically demanding jobs have an especially high risk of heart disease."

For their research, they looked at the blood pressure and physical activity levels of more than 12,000 female nurses from the 1993 Danish Nurse Cohort Study. They made three groups based on how physically demanding the nurses' jobs are: sedentary, moderate (standing and walking) and high (standing, walking with lifting or carrying.) They were monitored for 15 years.

Nearly 44 percent of the nurses had high physical activity; around 35 percent had moderate physical activity while the rest were sedentary, Medical News Today reports. During the study period, around 580 developed ischemic heart disease.

According to Health Grades, ischemic heart disease is a condition that is characterized by recurring chest pain. It is also known as coronary heart disease and it occurs when the heart does not receive enough blood supply because of the narrowed arteries. It is the leading cause of death among American women.

Allesøe adds that narrowing of the blood pathways can raise heart rate and blood pressure that can contribute to atherosclerosis, which can also be caused by hypertension. Additionally, lifting and carrying heavy things may cause rising blood pressure that is harmful to people with hypertension.

This applies not only to nurses but to women in equally, if not, more physically-demanding jobs that includes female basketball players and laborers, who are triply at risk if they already have hypertension. However, further research needs to be made in order to determine how much physical activity is recommended for women with hypertension.

"Our results may also apply to other occupations that require lifting or carrying heavy loads and standing or walking for many hours, but this needs to be confirmed in other studies," Allesøe said, notes Medical Xpress.