Work Ability and Employment in Rheumatoid Arthritis: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Role of Muscle Strength and Lower Extremity Function

Autor: Carolin Berner, Sandra Haider, Igor Grabovac, Thomas Lamprecht, Karl Heinrich Fenzl, Ludwig Erlacher, Michael Quittan, Thomas Ernst Dorner
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2018
Předmět:
Zdroj: International Journal of Rheumatology, Vol 2018 (2018)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1687-9260
1687-9279
DOI: 10.1155/2018/3756207
Popis: Objective. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between muscle strength, lower extremity function, employment status, and work ability in RA patients. Methods. One hundred seropositive RA outpatients of working age were included in this cross-sectional study. Employment status was assessed by interview and work ability by the Work Ability Index-Single Item Scale (WAS). Muscle strength was determined using dynamometer measurement of isometric hand grip and knee extensor strength. Lower extremity function was measured using the short physical performance battery (SPPB). Regression models estimate the association between unemployment, work ability and muscle strength, and lower extremity function, controlling for sociodemographic and disease-related factors. Results. Forty-one percent of the RA patients were not gainfully employed, and their median work ability had a good WAS value (7.00 [4.00-7.00]). Patients with better knee extensor strength (OR=1.07, 95% CI [1.02-1.12) and better physical performance (OR=1.71, 95% CI [1.18-2.49]) had a significantly better chance of gainful employment. The odds for hand grip strength remained significant when adjusted for sociodemographic (OR=1.5, 95% CI [1.00-1.09]), but not for disease-specific variables. Better hand grip strength (β=0.25, p=0.039) and better knee extensor strength (β=0.45, p=0.001) as well as better lower extremity function (SPPB) (β=0.51, p
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