Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: differences between workers with and without sick leave

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Pulmonology
• Psychosomatic Medicine

Background:

• Sick leave among employees with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presents a significant challenge.
• Understanding the determinants of sick leave is crucial for designing effective interventions to reduce absenteeism.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare employees with asthma and COPD who experience sick leave with those who do not.
• To identify factors associated with sick leave in these patient groups.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 118 asthma and 71 COPD participants.
• Data collection included lung function tests (FEV1, FVC), questionnaires on health, work, demographics, and psychosocial variables.
• Backward multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify determinants of sick leave.

Main Results:

• Lung function measures were not significantly associated with sick leave in either asthma or COPD groups.
• For asthma, psychosocial variables (e.g., expending all energy at work) and health complaints (e.g., dyspnea, breathing problems) were associated with sick leave.
• For COPD, age was the only significant variable. In the total group, work characteristics (e.g., work pace adjustment), age, and psychosocial factors were significant.

Conclusions:

• The severity of asthma or COPD, as indicated by lung function, does not determine sick leave.
• Different factors influence sick leave in asthma versus COPD.
• Interventions to reduce sick leave should focus on psychosocial factors rather than disease severity.