Key result
Metabolic syndrome linked to ~54% higher risk of long-term sickness absence among Japanese workers.
Why the study?
MetS is associated with chronic diseases that may cause long-term sickness absence, but evidence on the direct association between MetS and LTSA was lacking.
Does Metabolic Syndrome increase the risk of medically certified long-term sickness absence in Japanese workers?
Cohort (n=67,403)
Yes
Does Metabolic Syndrome increase the risk of medically certified long-term sickness absence in Japanese workers?
Metabolic syndrome is significantly associated with an increased risk of long-term sickness absence, particularly driven by cardiovascular diseases, among Japanese workers.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Metabolic syndrome was associated with higher long-term sickness absence in Japanese workers; hypothesis-generating and should not yet change occupational practice.
BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been associated with various chronic diseases that may lead to long-term sickness absence (LTSA), but there is lacking information on the direct association between MetS and LTSA. The present study aimed to investigate the all-cause and cause-specific associations between MetS and the risk of medically certified LTSA among Japanese workers. METHODS: We recruited 67,403 workers (57,276 men and 10,127 women), aged 20-59 years from 13 companies in Japan during their health check-ups in 2011 (11 companies) and 2014 (2 companies), and we followed them for LTSA events (≥30 consecutive days) until March 31, 2020. MetS was defined according to the Joint Interim Statement. A Cox proportional hazards regression model was used to estimate hazard ratios (HRs) and its 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for LTSA associated with MetS and its components. RESULTS: During 408,324 person-years of follow-up, 2,915 workers experienced LTSA. The adjusted HR for all-cause LTSA was 1.54 (95% CI, 1.41-1.68) among those with MetS compared to those without MetS. In cause-specific analysis, HRs associated with MetS significantly increased for LTSA due to overall physical disorders (1.76); cardiovascular diseases (3.16); diseases of the musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (2.01); cancers (1.24); obesity-related cancers (1.35); mental, behavioral, and neurodevelopmental disorders (1.28); reaction to severe stress and adjustment disorders (1.46); and external causes (1.46). The number of MetS components were also significantly associated with increased LTSA risk. CONCLUSION: MetS was associated with an increase in the risk of LTSA due to various diseases among Japanese workers.
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Hoang et al. (2021) conducted a cohort in Metabolic Syndrome (n=67,403). Metabolic syndrome vs. Without metabolic syndrome was evaluated on All-cause medically certified long-term sickness absence (≥30 consecutive days) (HR 1.54, 95% CI 1.41-1.68). Metabolic syndrome was associated with a significantly increased risk of all-cause long-term sickness absence among Japanese workers (HR 1.54; 95% CI 1.41-1.68).
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