RA-related work-disability rates were similar in the USA and European countries .
An apparent decrease in the prevalence of RA-related work disability since the 1970s may be related to a decrease in physically dem and ing work rather than to epidemiologic changes in RA .
The majority of the literature addresses permanent disability and temporary work loss ; none of the studies review ed reported the effect of RA on presenteeism , i.e. work limitation from the employer perspective , and there are few published studies of the effectiveness of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in reducing work-related productivity loss
BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is a chronic , debilitating disease with a significant impact on workplace productivity .
AIM To perform a systematic review of studies of the relationship between RA and reduced  workplace productivity .
Work capacity of patients with inflammatory joint diseases. An eight-year follow-up study.
In a prospect i ve study of recent arthritis , 103 patients had rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) , 63 seronegative oligoarthritis ( SO ) , 67 reactive arthritis ( REA ) , 20 ankylosing spondylitis ( AS ) , and 13 psoriatic arthritis ( PA ) . At the 8-year check-up , 36 % of patients with RA were at work , compared with 69 % in PA ( p less than 0.002 ) , and 85 - 90 % in AS , SO , and REA ( p less than 0.001 ) . Correspondingly 43 % of the RA patients were disabled by arthritis , compared with 23 % in PA ( NS ) , 15 % in AS ( p less than 0.005 ) , none in SO , and 4 % in REA ( p less than 0.001 ) . No significant differences in work capacity were noted between patients with PA , AS , SO or REA . In RA , the educational background s of patients unable to work ( 44 patients ) and able to work ( 37 patients ) did not differ from each other or from the overall population of Finl and , but a significantly ( p less than 0.01 ) smaller number of patients with arduous work were able to continue at work . The mean age of 49 years for RA patients unable to work differed highly significantly ( p less than 0.001 ) from the 35 years of RA patients at work . However , the weightiest cause of limited work capacity was severity of disease
RA-related work-disability rates were similar in the USA and European countries .
An apparent decrease in the prevalence of RA-related work disability since the 1970s may be related to a decrease in physically dem and ing work rather than to epidemiologic changes in RA .
The majority of the literature addresses permanent disability and temporary work loss ; none of the studies review ed reported the effect of RA on presenteeism , i.e. work limitation from the employer perspective , and there are few published studies of the effectiveness of disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs in reducing work-related productivity loss
BACKGROUND Rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) is a chronic , debilitating disease with a significant impact on workplace productivity .
AIM To perform a systematic review of studies of the relationship between RA and reduced  workplace productivity .