Chronic diseases are strongly associated with sickness absences in a sample of Italian public employees

Abstract

Objectives: Data on the prevalence of chronic diseases and their relationship with sickness absence in the Italian public employees are rather scarce. Therefore, in the first place, we assessed the distribution of chronic diseases in the employees of the University of Ferrara. As a next step, we investigated the possible associations between each chronic disease and cumulative days of all-cause sickness absence, and finally we investigated the odds ratio of each single chronic disease on sickness absence. Material and Methods: A total of 514 employees, 269 sick-listed and 245 not sick-listed in 2012, were studied. Demographical/clinical characteristics and chronic diseases were obtained from all study participants during medical surveillance procedures. Sickness absence days and job seniority data were obtained from the administrative office. Results: Gastrointestinal and psychiatric diseases were the most reported in the sick-listed sample (p = 0.01 and p = 0.02, respectively, compared to the not sick-listed). In the interquantile regression analysis, the sickness absence days were associated with psychiatric diseases (β = 65.1, 95% CI: 13.2-117.1, p = 0.01) and with the presence of 2 or more chronic diseases (β = 23.3, 95% CI: 4.5-42, p = 0.02). Furthermore, the logistic regression analysis showed that the odds of sickness absence were increased 2 fold by psychiatric diseases (OR = 2.2, 95% CI: 1.01-4.93, p = 0.04), and gastrointestinal diseases (OR = 1.9, 95% CI: 1.07-3.42, p = 0.02) and, to a lesser extent, by high body mass index (OR = 1.05, 95% CI: 1-1.11, p = 0.03). Conversely, female gender reduced by half the odds of sickness absence (OR = 0.5, 95% CI: 0.3-0.8, p = 0.04). Conclusions: This study highlights the relevant association between chronic diseases and sickness absence in Italian public employees. Our findings indicate the importance of considering the health status when designing preventive interventions aimed at decreasing sickness absences in this population.

Beyond Return to Work: The Effect of Multimorbidity on Work Functioning Trajectories After Sick Leave due to Common Mental Disorders

“…Until now, studies analyzing the impact of chronic health conditions on different occupational outcomes have generally examined a single, specific health condition [42–44]. Few have considered the effect of multiple coexisting chronic conditions on occupational outcomes such as sickness absence and work performance [45, 46], and none have focused on the course of work functioning over time. Measuring multimorbidity may help identify workers with a CMD who return to work and still may need special attention.…”

Joint association of multimorbidity and work ability with risk of long-term sickness absence: a prospective cohort study with register follow-up

“…Casimirri and co-workers found an association between sickness absence days and the presence of ≥2 chronic diseases in a cross-sectional study among 514 sicklisted and not sick-listed Italian workers (41). Likewise, Ubalde-Lopez found that the greater the number of health conditions, the higher the risk of sickness absence in a cross sectional study of 72 370 Spanish workers (7).…”

Relationship between symptom burden and disability leave among patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs): findings from the Living with MPN patient survey

“…Findings from a separate analysis of the effects of MPNs on work productivity in respondents of the Living with MPNs survey demonstrated a significant negative correlation between symptom burden and work productivity [ 7 ]. Studies in other symptomatic diseases, such as arthritis, psychiatric disorders, and gastrointestinal diseases, also show significantly higher numbers of sickness absences compared with the general population [ 16 , 17 ]. These findings underscore the prominent role that symptoms play in affecting the functional ability for everyday life and work among patients with MPNs.…”