title: Sick leave, disability pension and health-care-seeking behaviour prior to stroke, among people aged 30-65: a case-control study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To explore sick leave, disability pension and health-care-seeking behaviour among people 30-65 years of age prior to their stroke in 2001 in the county of Ostergötland, Sweden.
  
  
  METHODS
  A register-based, retrospective case-control study for the period 1 January 1998-31 December 2000. Cases (n=212): patients aged 30-65 with first-ever stroke in 2001. Controls (n=4606): people aged 30-65, randomly selected from the same base population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More than 91 days of accumulated sick leave among women was associated with increased likelihood of developing stroke (OR=1.89). Among men, 29-90 days and more than 91 days on sick leave increased the likelihood of stroke (OR=2.34 and OR=3.43, respectively).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Frequent health-care-seeking behaviour is not a tool for identifying women who develop stroke, while it may be an indicator for men. Accumulated sick leave may be a tool for identifying men and women with higher risk of stroke.
authors.affiliation: National Centre of Work and Rehabilitation, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden. medin@nhv.se
authors.forename: Jennie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Medin
authors.forename: Anders
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nordlund
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ekberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D018868:Insurance, Disability / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012737:Sex Factors; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D013548:Sweden