Parkinson's disease and working capacity

Abstract

The purpose of the present study was to establish how Parkinson's disease (PD) affects working capacity. Altogether, 937 (70%) of 1,343 working-aged members of the Finnish Parkinson Association participated in a questionnaire study. The ages of the subjects were between 29 and 65 years, median 59.0 years; 508 (54%) were men. The median (quartile range) duration of PD symptoms was 7.3 (4.3-11.3) years, and the median self-estimated severity of the disease on the Hoehn & Yahr scale was 2. Only 150 of 937 subjects (16%) were still working: 112 (12%) full-time and 38 (4%) part-time. Among those 343 (37%) who had retired purely because of PD at a median age of 53.4 years, the median working time was 1.7 years after established diagnosis. In part-time work, PD patients had been able to continue for a median of 4.3 years. PD often leads to early retirement; compared with the general Finnish population of similar age, PD patients had retired on the average 6 years earlier. Young age, mild symptoms, and short duration of the disease as well as adjustments enabling easier employment were associated with the possibility to continue longer in the work force.

The health-related, social, and economic consequences of parkinsonism: a controlled national study

“…PD and AP also have significant consequences related to work capabilities, pensions, transfer income, and other public support even though these diseases have a late onset [14,57]; however, the importance of these factors has not previously been estimated.…”

Physical therapy and occupational therapy in Parkinson's disease

“…PwP that are employed often experience difficulties in their work and stop working early [39]. Fatigue is one of the main problems experienced in the work environment [40][41][42] and is also associated with reduced participation in leisure activities [43].…”

Quality of life of people with Parkinson’s disease in the context of professional work and physiotherapy

“…[28], prowadząc badania nad wpływem PD na zdolność do pracy wśród członków fińskiego stowarzyszenia, stwierdzili, że -niezależnie od wieku -po 7,3 roku od zachorowania pracowało tylko 16% osób: 12% w pełnym i 4% w niepełnym wymiarze pracy. Wśród tych, którzy wycofali się wyłącznie ze względu na PD, średni wiek wynosił 53,4 roku i nastąpi-ło to po 1,7 roku po jej rozpoznaniu.…”

“…Wszyscy autorzy stwierdzają [28][29][30], że powodem rezygnacji lub zwolnienia z pracy było nasilenie głównych objawów ruchowych: spowolnienia, drżenia i sztywności. U osób młodszych stwierdzono dodatkowo większe problemy psychospołeczne niż u osób star-szych.…”