Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) strikes only about 1% of the population. That percentage, however, translates to almost 30,000 cases in British Columbia alone last year, making it a condition that employers need to have on their radar.
At the Health Work & Wellness conference held in Vancouver last week, Diane Lacaille, MD, associate professor with the rheumatology division at the University of British Columbia and senior scientist with the Arthritis Research Centre, outlined the impact that RA has in the workplace.
People with RA are absent from work more often to deal with their condition, and they tend to leave the workforce earlier than planned. Lacaille quoted studies that found 18% of those with RA go on disability five years after diagnosis and 27% 10 years after diagnosis. Also, a second study found that those with RA have a 5% to 8% reduction in productivity versus healthy workers.
But that’s only for a very small percentage of your working population, right? Think again. While RA is the most severe form of arthritis, other forms of arthritis affect about four million (one in six) Canadians, and that number is expected to increase by two million by 2026.
Lacaille said that arthritis is among the top reasons for work disability.
What can you do?
Allowing those with RA or other forms of arthritis to work from home if possible when needed, to adjust their work hours and to have an ergonomic assessment of their workstation can help. “People with an adapted workstation to their RA were 2.5 times less likely to be work-disabled,” Lacaille said.
But these modifications alone are not enough. Employees need to have access to treatment.
Disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) are the main treatment for RA. These drugs decrease inflammation and decrease pain, swelling, stiffness and fatigue over the short term, which slows down the disease progression long term. Biologics are another form of treatment, but they are not first in line, says Lacaille. “As of right now, it’s not cost-effective to do that.”
For those who are using DMARDs, the average number of days lost from work per year is 12 versus 32 for those not taking the drugs.
Employers can also educate plan members about the signs and symptoms of this disease and let them know what type of support is available to them.