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 .
The work dynamics of the person with rheumatoid arthritis.
This paper traces the work history of patients with rheumatoid arthritis ( RA ) from the year of diagnosis to 1985 . The paper also describes the risk factors for work loss among patients with RA . It uses data from a panel of 698 RA patients , observed for 4 years , from the practice s of a r and om sample of northern California rheumatologists . Of these 698 , 353 had worked for pay at some point in their lives . Three hundred six of the 353 had worked when diagnosed as having RA . Of these 306 , 157 ( 51 % ) were no longer working in 1985 . Forty-seven individuals started working after the onset of illness , but of these , approximately one-third had stopped working by 1985 . In all , 50 % of RA patients with some work experience stopped working within a decade of diagnosis , 60 % within 15 years , and 90 % within 30 years . We found that the probability of work loss is lessened among persons in jobs that have few physical requirements , among those with high levels of discretion over the pace and activities of work , and among those who were able to stay on the job held when the diagnosis was made . The probability of work loss is increased among service workers . The findings of this longitudinal study , showing that work characteristics profoundly alter the probability of work loss among persons with RA , are consistent with the findings of our earlier cross-sectional studies of work outcome and RA
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 .