Loengaard Katja, Bjorner Jakob Bue, Fink Per Klausen, Burr Hermann, Rugulies Reiner
National Research Centre for the Working Environment, Lerso Parkalle 105, DK-2100, Copenhagen, Denmark.
Department of Public Health, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.
BMC Public Health. 2015 Sep 2;15:844. doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-2177-4.
Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) are frequently encountered in general practice. However, little is known whether MUS affects labor market participation. We investigated the prospective association between MUS at baseline and risk of long-term sickness absence (LTSA), unemployment, and disability pensioning in a 5-year-follow-up study.
In the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study 2005, 8187 randomly selected employees from the Danish general population answered a questionnaire on work and health. Responses were linked with national registers on prescribed medication and hospital treatment. Participants were classified with MUS if they: a) had reported three or more symptoms during the last month, and b) did not have a chronic condition, neither in the self-reported nor the register data. We assessed LTSA, unemployment, and disability pensioning by linking our data with National registers of social transfer payments.
Of the 8187 participants, 272 (3.3%) were categorized with MUS. Compared to healthy participants, participants with MUS had an increased risk of LTSA (Rate ratio (RR) = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.28-2.42), and of unemployment (RR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.02-2.15) during follow-up. MUS participants also showed an elevated RR with regard to risk of disability pensioning, however this association was not statistically significant (RR = 2.06, 95% CI = 0.77-5.52).
MUS seem to have a negative effect on labor market participation defined by LTSA and unemployment, whereas it is more uncertain whether MUS affects risk of disability pensioning.
医学上无法解释的症状（MUS）在普通医疗中经常遇到。然而，对于MUS是否会影响劳动力市场参与情况，人们了解甚少。在一项为期5年的随访研究中，我们调查了基线时的MUS与长期病假（LTSA）、失业和残疾抚恤金风险之间的前瞻性关联。
在2005年丹麦工作环境队列研究中，从丹麦普通人群中随机抽取的8187名员工回答了一份关于工作和健康的问卷。这些回答与国家规定药物和医院治疗登记册相关联。如果参与者符合以下条件，则被归类为患有MUS：a）在过去一个月内报告了三种或更多症状，并且b）在自我报告数据和登记数据中均没有慢性病。我们通过将我们的数据与国家社会转移支付登记册相链接，评估了LTSA、失业和残疾抚恤金情况。
在8187名参与者中，272人（3.3%）被归类为患有MUS。与健康参与者相比，患有MUS的参与者在随访期间长期病假风险增加（率比（RR）= 1.76，95%置信区间 = 1.28 - 2.42），失业风险增加（RR = 1.48，95%置信区间 = 1.02 - 2.15）。患有MUS的参与者在残疾抚恤金风险方面的RR也有所升高，然而这种关联在统计学上并不显著（RR = 2.06，95%置信区间 = 0.77 - 5.52）。
MUS似乎对由长期病假和失业定义的劳动力市场参与有负面影响，而MUS是否会影响残疾抚恤金风险则更不确定。
