Productivity loss of Japanese patients with rheumatoid arthritis – A cross-sectional survey

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was (1) to determine productivity costs due to absenteeism and presenteeism among Japanese workers with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and (2) to identify additional factors associated with productivity loss among workers with RA.

Methods: An online survey of 500 RA Japanese patients was used. The Japanese version of the Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire (J-HAQ) was used to measure patients’ functional disability. The patient health questionnaire-9 item (PHQ-9) was used to measure symptoms and severity of depression. To assess work productivity the ‘work productivity and activity impairment questionnaire’ for rheumatoid arthritis (WPAI-RA), a six-item validated instrument was used.

Results: Percentages of absenteeism and presenteeism were found to be 1% and 23%, respectively. The annual combined productivity costs of both absenteeism and presenteeism was 7877 USD per patient. Factors significantly associated with a higher productivity loss were functional disability, depressive symptoms, and time since RA diagnosis, while age, and biological disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (bDMARDs) treatment were significantly associated with a lower productivity loss.

Conclusion: Treatment of RA with bDMARDs would likely result in decreased productivity loss among Japanese patients.

Keywords:

• Japan
• rheumatoid arthritis
• productivity costs
• sick leave

Acknowledgements

We thank Heather Logghe for editing and proofreading the manuscript. We would like to thank Medilead Inc. to help us on data collection.

Conflict of interest

This study was funded by Janssen Pharmaceutical KK. The findings and conclusions in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of Janssen Pharmaceutical KK.

Jörg Mahlich and Rosarin Sruamsiri are affiliated with Janssen Pharmaceutical KK, a company that markets drugs for the treatment of RA. HY has received lecture/consultancy fee from Pfizer, YL biologics, Takeda, Teijin, BMS, Nipponkayaku, Cgugai, Tanabe-Mitsubishi, Daiichi-Sankyo, Astellas and Janssen Pharma, and research grants from MSD, Astellas, AbbVie, BMS, Kaken, UCB, Ono, Ayumi, Eisai, Daiichi-Sankyo, Takeda, Tanabe-Mitsubishi, Chugai, Teijin, Torii, Nipponshinyaku, Pfizer. Eiichi Tanaka has received lecture fees or consulting fees from Abbvie, Eisai Pharmaceutical, Chugai Pharmaceutical, Bristol Myers Squibb, Astellas Pharmaceutical, Pfizer, Takeda Pharmaceutical, and Santen Pharmaceutical. Hisashi Yamanaka and Eiichi Tanaka have no grant/financial support from Janssen from 2013. Janssen Pharmaceutical KK and Johnson & Johnson had no role in the study design, data collection, data analysis or data interpretation.

Additional information

Funding

This study was funded by Janssen Pharmaceutical KK. The findings and conclusions in this report do not necessarily reflect the views of Janssen Pharmaceutical KK.