title: Genetic liability to disability pension in women and men: a prospective population-based twin study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Previous studies of risk factors for disability pension (DP) have mainly focused on psychosocial, or environmental, factors, while the relative importance of genetic effects has been less studied. Sex differences in biological mechanisms have not been investigated at all.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study sample included 46,454 Swedish twins, consisting of 23,227 complete twin pairs, born 1928-1958, who were followed during 1993-2008. Data on DP, including diagnoses, were obtained from the National Social Insurance Agency. Within-pair similarity in liability to DP was assessed by calculating intraclass correlations. Genetic and environmental influences on liability to DP were estimated by applying discrete-time frailty modeling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During follow-up, 7,669 individuals were granted DP (18.8% women and 14.1% men). Intraclass correlations were generally higher in MZ pairs than DZ pairs, while DZ same-sexed pairs were more similar than opposite-sexed pairs. The best-fitting model indicated that genetic factors contributed 49% (95% CI: 39-59) to the variance in DP due to mental diagnoses, 35% (95% CI: 29-41) due to musculoskeletal diagnoses, and 27% (95% CI: 20-33) due to all other diagnoses. In both sexes, genetic effects common to all ages explained one-third, whereas age-specific factors almost two-thirds, of the total variance in liability to DP irrespective of diagnosis. Sex differences in liability to DP were indicated, in that partly different sets of genes were found to operate in women and men, even though the magnitude of genetic variance explained was equal for both sexes.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The findings of the study suggest that genetic effects are important for liability to DP due to different diagnoses. Moreover, genetic contributions to liability to DP tend to differ between women and men, even though the overall relative contribution of genetic influences does not differ by sex. Hence, the pathways leading to DP might differ between women and men.
authors.affiliation: Division of Insurance Medicine, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. jurgita.narusyte@ki.se
authors.forename: Jurgita
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Narusyte
authors.forename: Annina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ropponen
authors.forename: Karri
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Silventoinen
authors.forename: Kristina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Alexanderson
authors.forename: Jaakko
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kaprio
authors.forename: Åsa
authors.initials: Å
authors.lastname: Samuelsson
authors.forename: Pia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Svedberg
mesh_terms: D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010415:Pensions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D014429:Twins, Dizygotic / Q000235:genetics; D014430:Twins, Monozygotic / Q000235:genetics