Employment status of patients with neuromuscular diseases in relation to personal factors, fatigue and health status: a secondary analysis.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the number of employed people in a group of patients with neuromuscular diseases and in 3 separate subgroups (facioscapulo-humeral dystrophy, hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, and myotonic dystrophy) to investigate any differences in employment status between the patient groups, and to identify factors related to employment status.


METHODS
Cross-sectional study.


METHODS
A total of 591 patients with neuromuscular diseases participated in the study, 138 with facioscapulo-humeral dystrophy, 135 with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy, and 318 with myotonic dystrophy.


METHODS
Self-report questionnaires, the Checklist Individual Strength (CIS) and the Short Form-36 (SF-36).


RESULTS
Of the patients with neuromuscular diseases in the study, 56.7% were employed. Younger age, being male, and higher education contributed significantly to employment status of the neuromuscular diseases group and the hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy and myotonic dystrophy subgroups. Significant between-group differences for employed vs not employed subjects were present in the total neuromuscular diseases group on all subscales of the CIS and SF-36. Factors related to employment status differed for the 3 neuromuscular diseases subgroups.


CONCLUSIONS
More than half of the patients with neuromuscular diseases were employed. Patients with facioscapulo-humeral dystrophy and patients with hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy were more often employed than patients with myotonic dystrophy. Between-group analyses for differences in baseline factors revealed 11 significant factors related to employment. Multivariate logistic analyses revealed 6 factors contributing to employment for the group of patients with neuromuscular diseases.
Minis
Marie-Antoinette H
MA
Department of Occupational Health, Prevention and Reintegration, HAN University of Applied Sciences, NL-6503 GL Nijmegen, The Netherlands. marieantoinette.vankuyk@han.nl
Kalkman
Joke S
JS
Akkermans
Reinier P
RP
Engels
Josephine A
JA
Huijbregts
Peter A
PA
Bleijenberg
Gijs
G
Oostendorp
Rob A B
RA
van Engelen
Baziel G M
BG
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004651:Employment; D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D015417:Hereditary Sensory and Motor Neuropathy / Q000534:rehabilitation; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020391:Muscular Dystrophy, Facioscapulohumeral / Q000534:rehabilitation; D009223:Myotonic Dystrophy / Q000534:rehabilitation; D009468:Neuromuscular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult