Treating Arthritis Ups Employment Prospects

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Treating Arthritis Ups Employment Prospects

Wed 26 May, 2004 21:21

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are liable

to find daily tasks becoming more and more difficult, maybe to the point

that they lose their jobs. But this can be averted if the condition is

treated adequately, new research shows.

This study " underscores the importance of early intervention in order to

maintain long term functioning, employability, and quality of life in

patients with RA, " Dr. Arthur Kavanaugh and colleagues from the University

of California San Diego in La Jolla write in the Journal of Rheumatology.

The researchers evaluated associations between functional disability, joint

damage, and employment status at baseline in 428 patients enrolled in an

arthritis treatment trial. They also determined the impact of improved

physical functioning after effective therapy on participants' employability,

overall healthcare costs, and quality of life.

At the start of the study, there was a significant association between

functional status and employment. Patients with the most joint damage were

less likely to have a full-time job than those with lesser degrees of joint

damage.

After 54 weeks, 64 percent of participants had achieved a clinically

important improvement in their condition. According to the researchers,

these patients had a " significant improvement " in their employability (21

percent versus 3 percent) compared with patients who did not show marked

improvement, and in their time lost from work (7 versus 30 days).

Patients with good improvement also had significant reductions in their

medical costs and improvements in their quality of life.

These findings " substantiate previously published data correlating

functional status and employment, " the authors note. The data also show that

effective treatment can produce " substantial health economic and quality of

life benefits " for patients with rheumatoid arthritis.

SOURCE: Journal of Rheumatology, May 2004.