Work absence in patients with asthma and/or COPD: a population-based study

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma impact on work productivity, but their population-based burden and clinical predictors are understudied. In this observational, real-life study, work absence of 14,383 asthma and/or COPD patients present in the MAJORICA cohort (Spain) was compared with the general population. Using multivariable regression, we studied the association of work absence with demographic and clinical characteristics. Patients with asthma and/or COPD had more work absence than the general population (15.2% vs 8.9%, p < 0.0001). Patients with asthma had more often periods of work absence compared to patients with COPD (16.0% vs 12.8%, p < 0.0001). The number of days absent were, however, less in asthma than in COPD (median: 15 days [IQR: 5–51] vs 39 days [IQR: 13–134], p < 0.001). Patients with asthma–COPD overlap were in between (14.5% with absence; median: 27 days [IQR: 10–82]). Comorbid anxiety, allergic rhinitis, and sleep apnoea were independently associated with more work absence.

Improvement in symptom-related disruptions is associated with fewer days of short-acting beta-agonist use in asthma

“…Poorly controlled asthma, representing ~60% of children and adults with asthma in the United States 1 , can result in significant healthcare costs and lost productivity at school, work, and home, of which the latter is estimated to cost $3B annually 2 . A similar loss in productivity is also observed globally 3 . Digital health solutions have shown promising results in promoting improved clinical outcomes and reducing healthcare resource utilization in asthma 4,5 , but few studies have explored its potential to assess productivity with passively-collected electronic data.…”

Estimating the joint association of adverse childhood experiences and asthma with subsequent depressive symptoms: a marginal structural modelling approach

“…A previous study suggests that lower socioeconomic status (SES) mediates the association between ACEs and depression. 16 Asthma might lead to lower SES because it can increase absences from school and work, 23 which may impose additional stressful social experiences, such as interpersonal conflicts and poor work/school performance. Other studies suggest that individuals who experienced ACEs are vulnerable to stressful events 24 due to difficulties in cognitive emotional regulation and psychological inflexibility.…”

Common Mental Disorders, Functional Limitation and Diet Quality Trends and Related Factors among COPD Patients in Spain, 2006–2017: Evidence from Spanish National Health Surveys

“…There are complex associations between COPD, its symptoms, psychological impacts, health-related behaviors and work productivity. In that sense, the relationships between anxiety/depression and COPD outcomes is thought to be cyclical: elevated level of anxiety/depression symptoms may increase negative health-related behaviors, such as smoking, which, in turn, exacerbate COPD symptoms being able then further exacerbate anxiety and depression symptoms [ 64 ] having a direct negative effect on work productivity [ 65 ]. On the other hand, alcohol consumption was related to a greater likelihood of suffering from CMDs in women and men, whereas having none, one or two chronic conditions made it less likely.…”