Lacaille Diane
Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Arthritis Research Centre of Canada, Vancouver, BC V5Z 1L7, Canada.
J Rheumatol Suppl. 2005 Jan;72:42-5.
Studies of work disability among individuals with arthritis reveal that loss of employment is a common, important, and costly problem. Arthritis and musculoskeletal conditions are the leading cause of longterm work disability in Canada and the US, with an estimated yearly cost of 13.7 billion dollars in Canada. In rheumatoid arthritis, reported rates of work disability are remarkably high, ranging from 32% to 50% 10 years after RA onset, and increasing to 50% to 90% after 30 years. Studies have shown that work disability starts early in the course of RA, emphasizing the need for early intervention. To date, research in the area of arthritis and employment has mostly focused on measuring the extent of the problem and on identifying predictors of work loss. Despite the importance of the problem, there has been little intervention research assessing the effectiveness of medical treatment and few interventions specifically aimed at employment, reducing work loss, or improving ability to work. Research needed includes evaluating the effect of current therapies on employment outcomes, and studying interventions specifically aimed at employment, as well as addressing methodological issues in employment research.
对关节炎患者工作残疾情况的研究表明，失去工作是一个常见、重要且代价高昂的问题。关节炎和肌肉骨骼疾病是加拿大和美国长期工作残疾的主要原因，在加拿大，估计每年成本达137亿美元。在类风湿关节炎中，据报告工作残疾率非常高，类风湿关节炎发病10年后，工作残疾率在32%至50%之间，30年后则升至50%至90%。研究表明，工作残疾在类风湿关节炎病程早期就会出现，这凸显了早期干预的必要性。迄今为止，关节炎与就业领域的研究大多集中于衡量问题的严重程度以及确定工作丧失的预测因素。尽管这个问题很重要，但几乎没有干预研究评估医学治疗的效果，也很少有专门针对就业、减少工作丧失或提高工作能力的干预措施。需要开展的研究包括评估当前疗法对就业结果的影响，研究专门针对就业的干预措施，以及解决就业研究中的方法学问题。
