[The effect of myocardial infarct on the employment situation of patients]

Assessment of the length of sick leave in patients with ischemic heart disease

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of ischemic heart disease is high. Few recent studies have investigated the periods of sick leave of these patients. Our aim is to determine the length of sick leave after an acute coronary syndrome, its costs, associated factors and to assess the use of antidepressants and/or anxiolytics.

METHODS

An observational study of a retrospective cohort of patients on sick leave due to ischemic heart disease in a health region between 2008-2011, with follow-up until the first return to work, death, or end of the study (31/12/2012).

MEASUREMENTS

length of sick leave, sociodemographic variables and medical prescriptions.

RESULTS

Four hundred and ninety-seven patients (mean age 53 years, 90.7% male), diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction (60%), angina pectoris (20.7%) or chronic form of ischemic heart disease (19.1%). Thirty-seven per cent of patients took anxiolytics the year after diagnosis and 15% took antidepressants. The average duration of sick leave was 177 days (95% CI: 163-191 days). Patients diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction returned to work after a mean of 192 days, compared to 128 days in cases with angina pectoris. Patients who took antidepressants during the year after diagnosis returned to work after a mean of 240 days. The mean work productivity loss was estimated to be 9,673 euros/person.

CONCLUSIONS

The mean duration of sick leave due to ischemic heart disease was almost six months. Consumption of psychotropic medication doubled after the event. Older age, suffering an acute myocardial infarction and taking antidepressants were associated with a longer sick leave period.

Cost-effectiveness of a cascade screening program for the early detection of familial hypercholesterolemia

BACKGROUND

Although familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) confers a high risk of coronary artery disease, most patients are undiagnosed, and little is known about the efficiency of genetic cascade screening programs at national level.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of a national genetic cascade screening program in Spain.

METHODS

An economic evaluation was performed using a decision tree analysis. The choice in the decision tree was between implementation of the national program for FH (NPFH) or keeping the usual clinical care. The NPFH detects FH patients through total cholesterol measurement at primary care level and use of genetic testing in index cases and relatives. The payer (National Health System) and social (including the productivity lost) perspectives were considered. The outcome variables were coronary events avoided, deaths avoided, and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained.

RESULTS

From the payer perspective, the application of the NPFH during 1 year prevents 847 coronary events and 203 deaths in the 9000 FH patients cohort during a 10-year follow-up, yielding an extra 767 QALYs, at a cost of €29,608 per QALY gained. From the social perspective, the NPFH is dominant over the control (the cost decreases and the effectiveness increases). The sensitivity analysis confirms the robustness of the findings.

CONCLUSION

The NPFH based on molecular testing is a cost-effective diagnostic and management strategy that supports government expenditure aimed at preventing coronary artery disease in FH patients in Spain. Implementation of such a strategy is likely to be also cost-effective in countries with similar developed healthcare systems.

[Factors determining the duration of temporary disability and return to work in a health district of Galicia]

OBJECTIVE

To determine the factors associated with the incidence and duration of temporary work incapacity (TWI) in a health district.

DESIGN

Descriptive and retrospective study.

SETTING

South health district of the province of Lugo, Spain.

PARTICIPANTS

A random sample of 1513 cases was selected among the total of episodes of TWI, during 3 years period.

MAIN MEASURES

The main factors analyzed are, on the one hand, the socio-demographic characteristics of the patient, his or her social security (SS) scheme, diagnosis that justifies the TWD, and the prescription date; and, on the other hand, the age, sex, specialised training, time in the post and years in practice of the physician who prescribes the TWI. The comparison of the means was carried out using variance analysis and the Kruskal-Wallis test. The relative effect of each variable on the probability of returning to the work was estimated through Cox regression models.

RESULTS

The mean duration of the episodes of TWI was of 74+/-103 days. The most frequent diagnoses were those of the bones-muscles and joints (BMAJ), injuries and poisonings (IAP), and respiratory diseases (RD). The probability of returning to work is reduced with the increase of the age, with agrarian and autonomous SS affiliates, with diagnoses of mental disease or diagnoses of the circulatory system, and in cases prescribed by older doctors or less time in the post.

CONCLUSIONS

The mean duration of the episodes of TWD is higher than that of other Spanish studies. The most influential factors in the return to work are the age of the patient, the SS scheme and the diagnosed illness.

Resumption and Maintenance of Employment after a First Acute Myocardial Infarction: Sociodemographic, Vocational and Medical Predictors

In a community cohort of 833 women and men aged <60 years, employed at the time of a first acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the relation of sociodemographic, vocational, and medical variables to the following three aspects of employment was investigated longitudinally: resumption of employment anytime within 5 years after AMI, resumption of employment within 3 months of the AMI, and maintenance of employment 5 years after AMI. Different sets of characteristics of persons with a first AMI were related to the different criteria of employment. Only sociodemographic and vocational variables were related to early resumption of employment, whereas maintenance of employment 5 years after AMI was influenced by both medical and nonmedical variables. These results support the importance of examining different aspects of resumption and maintenance of employment after AMI. They also suggest that early resumption of employment after AMI and employment anytime 5 years after AMI are more a function of the sociodemographic and vocational characteristics of the person with the AMI than of that person's medical condition, whereas long-term maintenance of employment after an AMI is also related to the person's medical condition.