title: The Employee Absenteeism Costs of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Evidence From US National Survey Data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate indirect costs associated with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a retrospective study using 1996-2006 US Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data. Employed individuals were aged 18 to 65 years. A two-part model estimated the probability of time lost from work and annual number of workdays missed due to illness.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-seven percent (209/312) of RA individuals missed work versus 58% (52,046/89,734) of those without RA (P = 0.0007). Among individuals who missed work, those with RA missed more workdays annually than those without RA ((Equation is included in full-text article.)= 13.659, 9.879, respectively; P = 0.008). Incremental per capita costs in annual lost workdays between those with and without RA were $596. Estimated national indirect costs of RA-related absenteeism were $252 million annually.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Individuals with RA have higher probabilities of missing work and missing workdays than those without RA.
authors.affiliation: From the CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting Services Inc (Dr Gunnarsson), Cincinnati, Ohio; Department of Political Science, Economics, and Philosophy (Dr Chen), College of Staten Island/CUNY, NY; Department of Health Services Administration School of Public Health University of Maryland at College Park (Dr Chen); Department of Preventive Medicine & Economics (Dr Rizzo), Stony Brook University, NY; Department of Medicine (Dr Ladapo), Harvard Medical School, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Mass; Departments of Population Health and Medicine (Dr Ladapo), New York University School of Medicine, New York; Incyte Corporation (Dr Naim), Wilmington, Del; and Janssen Scientific Affairs, LLC (Dr Naim and Dr Lofland), Horsham, PA.
authors.forename: Candace
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Gunnarsson
authors.forename: Jie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: John A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Rizzo
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Ladapo
authors.forename: Ahmad
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Naim
authors.forename: Jennifer H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Lofland
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001172:Arthritis, Rheumatoid / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D017598:Efficiency, Organizational / Q000191:economics; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011590:Psychology, Industrial / Q000191:economics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult