title: Prevalence and duration of social security benefits allowed to workers with asthma in Brazil in 2008.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To determine the prevalence and duration of social security benefits (SSBs) claims to registered workers with asthma in Brazil by the Brazilian National Institute of Social Security in 2008.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective, descriptive study, based on information obtained from the Brazilian Unified Benefit System database, on the number of SSB claims granted to registered workers with asthma in 2008. The reference population was the monthly mean number of workers registered in the Brazilian Social Registry Database in 2008. The variables studied were type of economic activity, gender, age, and type/duration of the SSB claim. The relationship between work and asthma was evaluated by the prevalence ratio (PR) between work-related and non-work-related SSB claims for asthma.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In 2008, 2,483 SSB claims were granted for asthma, with a prevalence of 7.5 allowances per 100,000 registered workers. The prevalence was higher among females than among males (PR = 2.1 between the sexes). Workers > 40 years of age were 2.5 times more likely to be granted an SSB claim for asthma than were younger workers. The prevalence was highest among workers engaged in the following types of economic activity: sewage, wood and wood product manufacturing, and furniture manufacturing (78.8, 22.4, and 22.2 claims/100,000 registered workers, respectively). The median (interquartile range) duration of SSB claims for asthma was 49 (28-87) days.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Asthma is a major cause of sick leave, and its etiology has a strong occupational component. This has a major impact on employers, employees, and the social security system. Being female, being > 40 years of age, and working in the areas of urban sanitation/sewage, wood and wood product manufacturing, and furniture manufacturing increase the chance of sick leave due to asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Collective Health, University of Brasília School of Health Sciences, Brasília, Brazil. anadergh@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Anadergh Barbosa de Abreu
authors.initials: AB
authors.lastname: Branco
authors.forename: Simone de Andrade Goulart
authors.initials: Sde A
authors.lastname: Ildefonso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D001249:Asthma / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D016272:Occupational Health / Q000191:economics*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics*; D012943:Social Security / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult