Diagnosis-specific sickness absence and all-cause mortality in the GAZEL study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Epidemiology
• Public Health

Background:

• Sickness absence is a common workplace issue.
• Understanding its link to mortality is crucial for public health.
• Diagnosis-specific sickness absence requires further investigation as a mortality risk marker.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate diagnosis-specific sickness absence as a predictor of all-cause mortality.
• To identify specific diagnoses associated with increased mortality risk.
• To evaluate the potential of sickness absence as an early indicator of fatal disease risk.

Main Methods:

• Utilized a prospective occupational cohort (GAZEL study) of French public utility workers.
• Analyzed medically certified sickness absence spells (>7 days) across 15 diagnostic categories from 1990-1992.
• Examined the association between sickness absence and all-cause mortality from January 1993 to February 2007, adjusting for covariates.

Main Results:

• Over 41% of employees experienced sickness absence spells >7 days.
• Mental disorders, digestive diseases, and circulatory diseases were significantly associated with increased mortality risk in men.
• Mental disorders were also linked to higher mortality risk in women.

Conclusions:

• Employees with sickness absence spells of one week or more faced a 60% excess risk of premature death.
• Specific diagnoses, notably mental disorders, were associated with this elevated mortality risk in both sexes.
• Sickness absence for mental disorders may serve as a valuable early indicator for identifying individuals at heightened risk of fatal outcomes.