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Decrease in sick leave among patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the first 12 months after start of treatment with tumour necrosis factor antagonists: a population-based controlled cohort study.

Olofsson, Tor LU ; Englund, Martin LU orcid ; Saxne, Tore LU ; Jöud, Anna LU orcid ; Jacobsson, Lennart LU ; Geborek, Pierre LU ; Allaire, Saralynn and Petersson, Ingemar LU (2010) In Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 69. p.2131-2136
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: /st> To investigate the effect of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on sick leave (SL) and disability pension (DP) in a population-based setting in southern Sweden. METHODS: /st> All patients with RA in the South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register living in the county of Skåne (population 1.2 million), who started their first treatment with a TNF antagonist between January 2004 and December 2007 and were 18-58 years at treatment start (n=365), were identified. For each patient with RA, four matched reference subjects from the general population were randomly selected. Data were linked to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency register and the point prevalence... (More)
OBJECTIVE: /st> To investigate the effect of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on sick leave (SL) and disability pension (DP) in a population-based setting in southern Sweden. METHODS: /st> All patients with RA in the South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register living in the county of Skåne (population 1.2 million), who started their first treatment with a TNF antagonist between January 2004 and December 2007 and were 18-58 years at treatment start (n=365), were identified. For each patient with RA, four matched reference subjects from the general population were randomly selected. Data were linked to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency register and the point prevalence of SL and DP as well as days of SL and DP per month were calculated from 360 days before until 360 days after treatment start. RESULTS: /st> At treatment start 38.6% of the patients with RA were registered for SL. During the first 6 months this share dropped to 28.5% (decrease by 26.2%, p<0.001). This level remained stable throughout the first treatment year. Comparing patients with RA to the reference group the relative risk of being on SL was 6.6 (95% CI 5.2 to 8.5) at initiation of anti-TNF treatment and 5.2 (95% CI 4.0 to 6.8) 1 year after that. The corresponding figures for DP were 3.4 (95% CI 2.7 to 4.2) and 3.2 (95% CI 2.7 to 3.9). CONCLUSIONS: /st> There was a marked decline in SL during the first 6 months of TNF antagonist treatment in patients with RA in southern Sweden, maintained throughout the first year, which was not offset by a corresponding increase in DP. (Less)
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author
; ; ; ; ; ; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
volume
69
pages
2131 - 2136
publisher
BMJ Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • wos:000284407300013
  • pmid:20693274
  • scopus:78649758316
  • pmid:20693274
ISSN
1468-2060
DOI
10.1136/ard.2009.127852
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
faeb4e5e-29db-4e99-8310-142c681a5dcf (old id 1665472)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20693274?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-04 09:33:48
date last changed
2025-04-04 15:15:19
@article{faeb4e5e-29db-4e99-8310-142c681a5dcf,
  abstract     = {{OBJECTIVE: /st&gt; To investigate the effect of tumour necrosis factor (TNF) antagonist treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) on sick leave (SL) and disability pension (DP) in a population-based setting in southern Sweden. METHODS: /st&gt; All patients with RA in the South Swedish Arthritis Treatment Group register living in the county of Skåne (population 1.2 million), who started their first treatment with a TNF antagonist between January 2004 and December 2007 and were 18-58 years at treatment start (n=365), were identified. For each patient with RA, four matched reference subjects from the general population were randomly selected. Data were linked to the Swedish Social Insurance Agency register and the point prevalence of SL and DP as well as days of SL and DP per month were calculated from 360 days before until 360 days after treatment start. RESULTS: /st&gt; At treatment start 38.6% of the patients with RA were registered for SL. During the first 6 months this share dropped to 28.5% (decrease by 26.2%, p&lt;0.001). This level remained stable throughout the first treatment year. Comparing patients with RA to the reference group the relative risk of being on SL was 6.6 (95% CI 5.2 to 8.5) at initiation of anti-TNF treatment and 5.2 (95% CI 4.0 to 6.8) 1 year after that. The corresponding figures for DP were 3.4 (95% CI 2.7 to 4.2) and 3.2 (95% CI 2.7 to 3.9). CONCLUSIONS: /st&gt; There was a marked decline in SL during the first 6 months of TNF antagonist treatment in patients with RA in southern Sweden, maintained throughout the first year, which was not offset by a corresponding increase in DP.}},
  author       = {{Olofsson, Tor and Englund, Martin and Saxne, Tore and Jöud, Anna and Jacobsson, Lennart and Geborek, Pierre and Allaire, Saralynn and Petersson, Ingemar}},
  issn         = {{1468-2060}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{2131--2136}},
  publisher    = {{BMJ Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases}},
  title        = {{Decrease in sick leave among patients with rheumatoid arthritis in the first 12 months after start of treatment with tumour necrosis factor antagonists: a population-based controlled cohort study.}},
  url          = {{https://lup.lub.lu.se/search/files/5357667/1691805.pdf}},
  doi          = {{10.1136/ard.2009.127852}},
  volume       = {{69}},
  year         = {{2010}},
}