title: The self-reported health and productivity burden of autoimmune disorders at a major self-insured employer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Examine the self-reported health and productivity burden of three autoimmune disorders: rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  A 2009 representative survey of a major employer's US workforce, with two approaches for disease identification: (1) self-report and (2) self-report replicated by claims-based International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision (ICD-9), codes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Self-reported prevalence: rheumatoid arthritis, 4.2%; psoriasis, 3.0%; inflammatory bowel disease, 1.2%. Psoriasis and inflammatory bowel disease replicated rheumatoid arthritis' pattern of health and productivity effects though not as strongly. The three autoimmune disorders combined significantly affected health at all severity levels. They also significantly affected productivity at higher severity but not at no symptom/lower severity levels.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  When employees with autoimmune disorders with lower severity/no symptoms do not progress to higher severity, their work performance remains on par with healthy employees. Autoimmune disorders' high impact/low prevalence offers much promise for lowering costs through benefit design.
authors.affiliation: Harris Allen Group, LLC, Brookline, MA 02445, USA. harris@harrisallengroup.com
authors.forename: Harris
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Allen
authors.forename: William B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Bunn
authors.forename: Ahmad B
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Naim
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002641:Chicago / Q000453:epidemiology; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015212:Inflammatory Bowel Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016272:Occupational Health; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D011565:Psoriasis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D057566:Self Report; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology