A new study from Janssen Scientific Affairs found that workers who have rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are almost 30 percent more likely to miss work for health reasons than their co-workers who do not have the problem. They miss more work and cost their employers more as a result. Rheumatoid arthritis is an inflammatory disease that affects joints and can ultimately impair function in many joints. Workers with it may be limited in their working abilities and miss days of work due to their symptoms.

Researchers looked at national data from the Household portions of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) and analyzing over 90,000 workers in a ten year period from 1996 and 2006. Of the patients with RA, 67 percent missed working days for health reasons, totaling an average of 14 days a year. Of those without RA, 58 percent reported missed days of work for health reasons at an average of 10 missed days a year. Those four extra days costs employers roughly $600 per employee per year. The researchers estimated that amounted to an annual total cost of $252 million.

Women are almost twice as likely as men to develop RA. If workers have RA and are also younger than 45, female, have another chronic disease, have paid sick days and/or work in office or manufacturing settings they were more likely to miss work, according to the report. Researchers found that ¾ of those who reported having RA were women. Researchers did find that the number of missed days decreased a little bit in the later years of the study period, and said that new medical technologies and treatments may have been a factor in that decline.

Researchers discussed ways to accommodate workers with RA, saying that workers with RA who are able to change their hours or change the nature of their work around their limitations have more success keeping their jobs. They cited studies that show that consistent employment actually can be a positive thing for workers with RA, as it correlates with lower levels of pain and depression.