Sustained improvement in work outcomes in employed patients with rheumatoid arthritis during 2 years of adalimumab therapy: an observational cohort study
Open Access
- 23 March 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Clinical Rheumatology
- Vol. 39 (9), 2583-2592
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10067-020-05038-y
Abstract
Objective The goal of this study was to evaluate the long-term impact of adalimumab therapy on work-related outcomes in employed patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Method We utilized data from an observational cohort of German patients who initiated adalimumab treatment during routine clinical care. Analyses were based on employed patients (part-time or full-time) who continued adalimumab treatment for 24 months. Major outcomes were self-reported sick leave days in the previous 6 months, absenteeism, presenteeism, and total work productivity impairment as assessed by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment (WPAI) questionnaire and disease activity assessments. The normal number of sick leave days was based on data from the German Federal Statistical Office. Results Of 783 patients, 72.3% were women, mean age was 47.9 years, and mean disease duration was 7.8 years. At baseline (before adalimumab initiation), 42.9% of patients had higher than normal sick leave days (> 5) in the previous 6 months. During 24 months of adalimumab treatment, 61% of patients with higher than normal sick leave days at baseline returned to normal sick leave values (≤ 5 days/6 months). Overall, mean sick leave days/6 months decreased from 14.8 days at baseline to 7.4 days at month 24. Improvements were observed in WPAI assessments and disease activity measures, although presenteeism levels remained high (32.2% at month 24). Conclusions Adalimumab treatment was associated with strong and sustained improvements in work-related outcomes in employed patients who continued on adalimumab for 24 months. Presenteeism appears to be the work outcome most resistant to improvement during RA treatment. Trial registration NCT01076205 Key Points • Long-term adalimumab therapy was associated with sustained improvements in work outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. • Despite improvements in sick leave days and work absenteeism, presenteeism (impairment while at work) remained relatively high.Funding Information
- AbbVie Deutschland (None)
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Chronicity of rheumatoid arthritis affects the responsiveness of physical function, but not of disease activity measures in rheumatoid arthritis clinical trialsAnnals Of The Rheumatic Diseases, 2014
- Consequences of inflammatory arthritis for workplace productivity loss and sick leave: a systematic reviewAnnals Of The Rheumatic Diseases, 2012
- Reduction in sickness absence in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving adalimumab: data from a German noninterventional studyRheumatology International, 2011
- Productivity loss due to absenteeism and presenteeism by different instruments in patients with RA and subjects without RARheumatology, 2011
- Validity of the work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire - general health version in patients with rheumatoid arthritisArthritis Research & Therapy, 2010
- Work disability remains a major problem in rheumatoid arthritis in the 2000s: data from 32 countries in the QUEST-RA StudyArthritis Research & Therapy, 2010
- Differential expression level of cytokeratin 8 in cells of the bovine nucleus pulposus complicates the search for specific intervertebral disc cell markersArthritis Research & Therapy, 2010
- Sick leave and work disability in patients with early arthritisClinical Rheumatology, 2007
- Indirect cost assessment in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA): Comparison of data from the health economic patient questionnaire HEQ‐RA and insurance claims dataArthritis Care & Research, 2005
- Modified disease activity scores that include twenty-eight-joint counts development and validation in a prospective longitudinal study of patients with rheumatoid arthritisArthritis & Rheumatism, 1995