title: Labour and non-labour market productivity in Chinese patients with systemic lupus erythematosus.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  A cross-sectional study was performed to assess the self-reported loss of labour and non-labour market productivity, as well as to characterize the risk factors of loss of productivity in patients with SLE.
  
  
  METHODS
  A consecutive sample of 125 Chinese patients with a diagnosis of SLE and within working age was recruited. Work disability, daily activity limitations and receipt of social help, along with demographic information and health status, were collected from a self-reported questionnaire. Disease characteristics were collected by clinical examination and chart review. Univariate and multivariate logistic analyses were used to describe the relationships between labour/non-labour productivity and demographic/clinical variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Twenty (16%) patients reported complete work disability as a result of SLE after a median duration of 9 years since disease onset. A total of 46 (36.8%) patients reported difficulty in performing their daily activities, including household work, studying and leisure activities, among which 28% received social help from families or friends. Risk of work disability was strongly predicted by low education level, long disease duration and history of having pleurisy. Patients' global well-being, physical health status and functional status were factors independently associated with impaired non-labour market productivity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SLE has a profound impact on individuals' labour and non-labour market productivity. Vocational education programmes may be useful in lowering the work disability rate in SLE. Preserving patients' physical and mental functioning or improving patients' quality of life may help in restoring both labour and non-labour productivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 9/F Clinical Sciences Building, Prince of Wales Hospital, 30-32 Ngan Shing Street, Shatin, N.T., Hong Kong. tracyzhu@cuhk.edu.hk
authors.forename: Tracy Y
authors.initials: TY
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.forename: Lai-Shan
authors.initials: LS
authors.lastname: Tam
authors.forename: Edmund K
authors.initials: EK
authors.lastname: Li
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000328:Adult; D044466:Asian People; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004185:Disability Evaluation; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006723:Hong Kong / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008180:Lupus Erythematosus, Systemic / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009790:Occupations / Q000145:classification*; D010045:Outpatients; D010147:Pain Measurement; D011788:Quality of Life; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires