RESEARCH - Current risk factors for work disability associated with RA: recent data from a US national cohort

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Arthritis Rheum. 2009 Feb 26;61(3):321-328.

Current risk factors for work disability associated with rheumatoid

arthritis: Recent data from a US national cohort.

Allaire S, Wolfe F, Niu J, Lavalley MP, Zhang B, Reisine S.

Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.

OBJECTIVE: To explore, using recent data, whether and how risk factors

for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) work disability may differ from previous

studies. METHODS: Subjects were 953 individuals with RA from a US

cohort who provided data semiannually over 18 months (years

2002-2005). A nested case-control design was used with matching on

time of baseline data collection. All subjects were employed at

baseline; cases were consistently not employed at followup, whereas

controls remained employed. Hierarchical conditional logistic

regression assessed the roles of demographic, RA disease, general

health, and work factors as predictors of work disability. Recursive

partitioning and causal modeling procedures were also used.

RESULTS: Sample characteristics were mean age 51 years, 82% female,

and 92% white. Older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.2, 95% confidence interval

[95% CI] 1.1-1.4) and lower income (OR 1.7, 95% CI 1.0-2.7) predicted

work disability, whereas more hours worked (OR 0.9, 95% CI 0.8-0.9)

and preference to work full time (OR 0.2, 95% CI 0.1-0.4) or part time

(OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.6) versus not to work were protective in the

regression analysis. In recursive partitioning analyses, RA disease

factors predicted work disability among older subjects, and functional

limitation was the fourth most important factor. Job physical demand

was not a significant or important factor.

CONCLUSION: In this contemporary data from a large RA cohort, older

age, lower income, fewer working hours, and preference not to work

were the risk factors for work disability. The impact of disease

factors was limited to subjects ages >/=56 years. Job physical demand

level had little impact.

PMID: 19248135

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19248135

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