Objectives To assess the frequency and extent of work ability impairment and explore differences in its degree in relation to sociodemographic, clinical and patient-reported factors in patients with axial spondyloarthritis (axSpA) and psoriatic arthritis (PsA). Methods This cross-sectional analysis used data from the prospective RABBIT-SpA cohort, including patients aged 18–65 years with physician-confirmed axSpA or PsA. Work ability was assessed in both the axSpA and PsA cohorts using the Work Ability Index (WAI; 7–49 points, higher scores=better work ability), categorised as good/excellent (≥37) or moderate/poor (≤36) according to validated cut-offs. Patients were grouped as employed with good/excellent WAI, employed with moderate/poor WAI or non-employed. Descriptive analyses were conducted. Results 2655 patients were analysed (axSpA: 1366; PsA: 1276). In the axSpA cohort, 80% were employed, with 70% reporting moderate/poor WAI (mean 31.6, SD: 7.6). Among patients with PsA, 69% were employed, of whom 71% reported moderate/poor WAI (mean 31.4, SD: 8.1). For both the axSpA and PsA cohorts, compared with individuals with good/excellent WAI, those who were non-employed or had moderate/poor WAI were more often female, older, obese, smokers and had fewer years of education. Individuals with lower inflammatory markers, fewer comorbidities and lower disease activity were mainly in the good/excellent WAI group, while non-employed individuals showed the poorest clinical and patient-reported factors, followed by those with moderate/poor WAI. Conclusion Around 25% of patients of working age with axSpA and PsA were non-employed and two-thirds of employed patients reported moderate/poor work ability. The results underline the importance of enhanced focus on occupational health in rheumatology to identify at-risk patients early.
Lembke et al. (Thu,) studied this question.