ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 2479

Work Productivity in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated before and after Implementation of a Treat-to-Target Strategy

Siri Lillegraven1, Maria Dahl Mjaavatten1, Nina P. Sundlisater1, Anna-Birgitte Aga1, Inge C Olsen2, Till Uhlig1, Daniel H. Solomon3, Tore K Kvien1, Espen A. Haavardsholm1 and the ARCTIC Study Group, 1Dept. of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway, 2Department of Rheumatology, Diakonhjemmet Hospital, Oslo, Norway, 3Division of Rheumatology, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA

Meeting: 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 28, 2016

Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and treatment, Work Disability

  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print
Session Information

Date: Tuesday, November 15, 2016

Title: Rheumatoid Arthritis – Clinical Aspects - Poster III: Treatment – Monitoring, Outcomes, Adverse Events

Session Type: ACR Poster Session C

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a known cause of work productivity loss. Participation in work-related activities is defined as part of the primary goal of RA treatment in the 2015 Treat-to-Target recommendations (1). The objective of the current study was to compare sick leave rates in early RA patients in a tight control Treat-to-Target study to early RA patients followed in an observation study without treatment algorithms.

Methods: We used data from two studies, ARCTIC (inclusion Oct 2010 – April 2013, fulfillment of 2010 classification criteria, symptom duration<2 years, DMARD-naive with indication for DMARD) and the NOR-VEAC study (inclusion Oct 2004 – Aug 2010, patients included in the analyses fulfilled 2010 criteria for RA, symptom duration <16 weeks, DMARD-naive). Patients in ARCTIC were treated according to a predefined algorithm with treatment target of DAS<1.6 and SJC44=0. In half the patients, an additional target was no ultrasound power Doppler signal. NOR-VEAC patients were treated according to the physicianÕs preference. Data collection included identical questions on work participation, and in the ARCTIC study additionally the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Questionnaire. We compared the proportion of patients reporting sick leave among patients not reporting retirement or disability pension across studies at baseline, 8 and 16 months, the time points with most data available in both cohorts, by chi-square test.

Results: The mean (SD) age for the 229 patients in ARCTIC was 51.4 (13.7) years, disease duration 7.1 (5.4) months, DAS28 4.4 (1.2), 61% were female and 86% seropositive. The 259 NOR-VEAC patients had shorter mean (SD) disease duration (2.0 (1.0) months, p-value <0.001), higher DAS28 (5.3 (1.3), p-value<0.001) and lower seropositivity rate (74%, p-value <0.001). NOR-VEAC patients had comparable age (52.7 (14.1) years) and gender distribution (64% females) to ARCTIC. In ARCTIC, levels of presenteeism and absenteeism at two years were overall very low, with substantial improvement from baseline (figure 1). While 30.9% of employed ARCTIC patients reported 100% absenteeism at baseline, the corresponding number at 24 months was 3.7%. When comparing the cohorts after 16 months 14.5% of patients in ARCTIC and 26.1% of patients in NOR-VEAC reported any sick leave (p-value 0.01). No difference in sick leave was found between ARCTIC and NOR-VEAC at baseline but a trend was observed at 8 months (figure 2).  

Conclusion: Patients with early RA in a tight control treat-to-target study reported very little work productivity loss after two years. Sick-leave rates were significantly lower than in a previous cohort of early RA patients followed without implementation of such principles. The results support that patient care based on modern treatment strategies improves participation in work-related activities, a defined goal for RA treatment. References: (1) Smolen et al. ARD 2015


Disclosure: S. Lillegraven, None; M. D. Mjaavatten, None; N. P. Sundlisater, None; A. B. Aga, None; I. C. Olsen, None; T. Uhlig, None; D. H. Solomon, None; T. K. Kvien, Biogen, BMS, Boehringer Ingelheim, Celltrion, Eli Lilly, Epirus, Hospira, Merck-Serono, Novartis, Orion Pharma, Prizer, Sandoz, UCB, 5; E. A. Haavardsholm, AbbVie, 2,UCB, 2,Pfizer Inc, 2,MSD, 2,Roche Pharmaceuticals, 2.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Lillegraven S, Mjaavatten MD, Sundlisater NP, Aga AB, Olsen IC, Uhlig T, Solomon DH, Kvien TK, Haavardsholm EA. Work Productivity in Early Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Treated before and after Implementation of a Treat-to-Target Strategy [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/work-productivity-in-early-rheumatoid-arthritis-patients-treated-before-and-after-implementation-of-a-treat-to-target-strategy/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Email
  • Print

« Back to 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/work-productivity-in-early-rheumatoid-arthritis-patients-treated-before-and-after-implementation-of-a-treat-to-target-strategy/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology