Cardiovascular Disease as Cause for Disability Pensions

Abstract

Abstract Introduction: In the last three years, in Brazil, most disability pensions (DP) were granted to cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Objective: To identify CVD as a cause of DP. Method: Literature review, including articles from 2000 to 2013, using the following descriptors: risk factors, pensions and cardiovascular diseases in the Pubmed/Medline, bireme, scopus, web of science and cochrane databases: After excluding duplicated items, articles not written in English or Portuguese and those not relatedto the topic of study, 7 papers remained. Results: All papers showed a positive association between DP and CVD. In one study that used relative risk to compare retirement between CVD and musculoskeletal disability, no difference was found between the groups. In other studies there was association between increased uric acid, poorly controlled hypertension, perception of stressful work and inadequate postures at work with increased risk for retirement. Discussion: There are high investments in preventive campaigns for the worker’s health in the area of musculoskeletal disorders, but not always the same commitment to the prevention of CVD. Conclusion: The CVD has high significance for the health of the worker, being a major risk factor for DP, and the implementation of policies to prevent these diseases should be encouraged.