Arthritis in the workplace: productivity suffers in early stages of arthritis

Many people experiencing the early stages of arthritis find their productivity at work decreases, says research published in Arthritis Care & Research.
The French study looked at work productivity loss (in terms of rates of sick leave, permanent disability and early retirement) during the first three years of disease in 664 people with early arthritis. At the start of the study, 81.6% of the participants were workers. The research team found that during the first three years of disease:

• 45% of the group reported at least one sick leave day
• 11% of participants experienced a permanent disability
• 1% of the volunteers had to take early retirement.

Other findings were:

• The average number of days on sick leave due to early arthritis decreased over time from 44 days to 13 days
• The average number of days on permanent disability increased from 10 days to 33 days
• People who had taken sick leave longer than 30 days before inclusion in the study and who had experienced decreases in mental and physical health were more likely to experience significant productivity losses.

“Work productivity loss is substantial in early arthritis patients and is due to permanent disability before the third year of disease,” the authors conclude. “Work absence and poor mental and physical health status at baseline are major determinants of work productivity costs.”
A spokeswoman for Arthritis Research UK comments:
“Musculoskeletal disorders are one of the two main causes of incapacity for work in the UK, accounting for a loss of ten million working days per year, at a cost of £7 billion. People with rheumatoid arthritis are at particular risk of giving up work within the first few years of being diagnosed. This is an area ripe for further research.”

Image credit: Tekke