P094 Occupation and work productivity in individuals with early inflammatory arthritis: results from the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit

Abstract

Abstract Background/Aims To continue working, work in the same occupation or work the same number of hours is one of the most important outcomes for individuals with inflammatory arthritis but is often diminished during the very early phases of disease. Our objectives were to describe occupation and work status in individuals with early inflammatory arthritis (EIA) from the National Early Inflammatory Arthritis Audit (NEIAA) and assess the impact of occupation and treatment response on work disability. Methods NEIAA is an observational cohort of adults with newly diagnosed EIA seen in rheumatology services in England and Wales between May 2018 and March 2020. Self-reported occupation was coded using the UK Standard Occupational Classification and classified using the National Statistics Socio-Economic Classification (NS-SEC). Work disability was assessed at diagnosis, 3 months, and 12 months, using the work productivity and activity impairment (WPAI) score, with absenteeism data dichotomized between those who reported any sick-leave and those who did not. Multilevel mixed-effects linear regression models were used to examine associations between occupation and WPAI score at baseline and over 12 months. Variables for adjustment were decided a priori and included only age and sex. Results There were 12,663 individuals with EIA, with 5999 (48%) in paid work defined as greater than 20 hours per week. Occupation data were available for 3720 individuals, with the highest proportion of patients in lower managerial, administrative, professional (n = 773) and semi-routine (n = 761) roles. At diagnosis, 171 patients (4.7%) had stopped work and 336 (9.2%) had changed jobs because of their EIA. Absenteeism was reported by 685 patients (29.5%). Compared to the higher managerial, administration and professional occupation group, the other occupational types demonstrated a greater level of productivity loss due to presenteeism and overall work impairment. Individuals in semi routine and routine occupations were more likely to stop work due to EIA. In the 12 months after diagnosis, absenteeism, presenteeism and overall impairment improved across all occupations. Achieving a good EULAR response at 3 months, but not occupational type, was associated with improvement in work outcomes over time (p value <0.001). Conclusion Work disability is prevalent in individuals with EIA at diagnosis, with variation across occupation types. In the first 12 months after diagnosis improvements in all work outcomes are seen, with the greatest change in those who achieve a good EULAR response. Disclosure K. Bechman: None. E. Cook: None. A. Houssien: None. P. Amlani-Hatcher: None. J. Ledingham: None. J. Galloway: Consultancies; Sanofi, Novartis, Pfizer, Janssen, UCB. Grants/research support; Eli Lilly. K. Walker-Bone: None.