Abstract
BackgroundMultiple sclerosis (MS) is prevalent among working age individuals (20–60 years), leading to high burden on work productivity. Few data are available about the absenteeism and presenteeism in employed individuals with MS in comparison to non-MS personnel. This study aimed to quantify the burden of illness of employed US adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and examine burden by levels of work impairment.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted using patient-reported responses from the US National Health and Wellness Survey (NHWS). Data from NHWS 2015–2016 were analyzed from 196 employed RRMS respondents who were matched 1:4 to employed respondents without MS based on demographic and general health characteristics. Demographic and general health characteristics for employed RRMS individuals were analyzed by levels of work impairment (none, 1–30%; 31–68%; 69–100%). Work productivity (absenteeism, presenteeism, and work impairment), decrements in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (short form-36, EQ-5D), and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) were compared to determine the burden of RRMS.ResultsAfter propensity score matching, the levels of absenteeism and presenteeism were 2 and 1.8 times higher in the employed RRMS population than the employed non-MS population, respectively (P < 0.001 for both). HRQoL was significantly lower in employed respondents with RRMS than those without MS (P < 0.001 for all). Employed respondents with RRMS had significantly more HCRU over 6 months compared to those without MS (P < 0.001). Furthermore, among employed RRMS respondents, greater levels of impairment were associated with increasing disease severity, greater healthcare resource use, fatigue, and cognitive impairment and inversely associated with mental and physical HRQoL (P < 0.0001 for all).ConclusionsAmong employed individuals, respondents with RRMS had lower, work productivity, HRQoL, and higher HCRU as compared with those without MS. Given the large impact RRMS has on work impairment, a need exists to manage individuals on therapies that improve HRQoL, reduce symptoms, and improve their ability to perform in the workforce.
Highlights
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is prevalent among working age individuals (20–60 years), leading to high burden on work productivity
Comparison of outcomes revealed significantly lower health status among respondents with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) relative to the matched controls not diagnosed with MS, with a difference of 2.4 points on Mental component summary (MCS), 7.8 points on Physical component summary (PCS), and 0.1 points on the EQ-5D index (P ≤ 0.001 for all) between the two groups
The analysis indicated that employed respondents with RRMS had substantial work productivity impairment (37.0 vs. 20.4, P < 0.001; Table 2), and total activity impairment (38.7 vs. 20.3, P < 0.001) compared with matched employed controls without MS
Summary
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is prevalent among working age individuals (20–60 years), leading to high burden on work productivity. This study aimed to quantify the burden of illness of employed US adults with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) and examine burden by levels of work impairment. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune, inflammatory, demyelinating disease of the central nervous system [1], characterized by neurological symptoms involving the motor, sensory, visual, and autonomic systems [2]. MS can either be characterized as progressive, secondary progressive or relapsing-remitting (RRMS). The disease is characterized by flareups (relapses or exacerbations) of symptoms followed by period of remission when symptoms improve or disappear [5]. Our understanding of the MS has grown in recent years as some genetic and environmental factors have been identified, including low vitamin D levels, cigarette smoking, and obesity [6]
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