Abstract
Work disability remains a considerable problem for many patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Morning stiffness is a symptom of RA associated with early retirement from work and with impaired functional ability. We aimed to explore the patient’s perception of the impact of morning stiffness on the working life of patients with RA. A survey was conducted in 11 European countries. Patients of working age, with RA for ≥6 months and morning stiffness ≥3 mornings a week, were interviewed by telephone using a structured questionnaire. Responses were assessed in the total sample and in subgroups defined by severity and duration of morning stiffness and by country. A total of 1,061 respondents completed the survey, 534 were working, 224 were retired and the rest were, i.e. homemakers and unemployed. Among the 534 working respondents, RA-related morning stiffness affected work performance (47 %), resulted in late arrival at work (33 %) and required sick leave in the past month (15 %). Of the 224 retired respondents, 159 (71 %) stopped working earlier than their expected retirement age, with 64 % giving RA-related morning stiffness as a reason. There was a differential impact of increasing severity and increasing duration of morning stiffness on the various parameters studied. There were notable inter-country differences in the impact of RA-related morning stiffness on ability to work and on retirement. This large survey showed that from the patient’s perspective, morning stiffness reduces the ability to work in patients with RA and contributes to early retirement.
Highlights
The introduction of biological therapies may have had some positive effects on work participation in patients R
Demographic, disease and work status characteristics of the respondents are Rheumatoid arthritis-related morning stiffness reduced working ability, with the impact significantly increasing with severity and duration of morning stiffness (Fig. 1)
The proportion of respondents stating that they were less able to carry out tasks because of RArelated morning stiffness ranged from 55 % in Sweden to
Summary
The introduction of biological therapies may have had some positive effects on work participation in patients R. University Medicine, Charitéplatz 1, 10117 Berlin, Germany with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) [1,2,3], with some evidence of reduced work disability in recent years [4,5,6,7]. Work disability remains a considerable problem for many patients with RA [7]. In a large multinational epidemiological study, the probability of continuing to work years after the initial diagnosis was 80 %, falling to 68 %. The high economic impact on patients, their caregivers and society arising from RA-related work disability [12,13,14] has prompted the suggestion that the current aim of ‘treating to target’
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