Long sick leaves may signal early death risk: study
06.10.2008 20:02
Health
- Source: cbc.ca
People who take extended sick leave from work may be at a higher risk of dying early, a finding that could help doctors identify life-threatening problems sooner. Employees who took medically certified sick leaves for more than seven days at least once in a three-year period had a mortality 1.7 times greater than those who didn't take such leaves, researchers reported in Friday's issue of the British Medical Journal. For the study, Jenny Head, an epidemiologist at University College London, and her colleagues reviewed sick leave records for nearly 6,500 British civil servants aged 35 to 55, between 1985 and 1988. Mortality was compared up until 2004. "Data on sickness absence diagnoses may provide useful information to identify groups with increased health risk and a need for targeted interventions," the study's authors concluded. There appeared to be a relationship between long periods of sick leave and increased risk of premature death not only for serious medical conditions, but also common respiratory infections like the flu, the researchers found. Those who missed work because of heart disease, stroke or related conditions had more than four times the risk of death compared with those without long absences, the team reported. Tool for GPsThe link was weaker among those who missed work for infectious diseases, respiratory infections and injuries, but they also showed a 1.5 to 1.7 times risk of death. People who were absent because of psychiatric illnesses were nearly twice as likely to die prematurely, and they also showed a 2.5-fold increase in cancer-related deaths. The researchers did not look for possible reasons, but previous research suggests those who are depressed may be less likely to seek treatment. The one type of illness that was not linked to an increased risk of premature death was musculoskeletal conditions, such as back pain or arthritis. The study's authors accounted for age, body mass index, employment class, and hypertension, but other unknown health differences could exist between people who take extended sick leaves and those who don't. In an editorial accompanying the study, Johannes Anema and Allard van der Beek of the VU University Medical Centre in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, agreed that diagnostic information from sick leaves could provide general practitioners with a useful tool to identify workers at increased risk of serious illness or death, and work-related physical or mental health problems like stress. Story Tools: E-MAIL | PRINT | Text Size: SMLXL | REPORT TYPO | SEND YOUR FEEDBACKRelatedInternal LinksSmokers call in sick more, have poorer performance: study 5% of workers take long sick leaves in a yearExternal LinksSick leave mortality study, British Medical JournalEditorial extract, BMJ(Note: CBC does not endorse and is not responsible for the content of external sites - links will open in new window) Health HeadlinesTraumatic brain injury common among homeless, study findsMore than half of the people who are homeless in Toronto are suffering from a traumatic brain injury, according to a new study that suggests early diagnosis and treatment may help stem the number of homeless people in major cities.Policy change delayed alarm signal over listeria, inspectors sayInspectors with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency say their hands-on role at meat plants changed with a CFIA policy introduced three months before the listeriosis outbreak.For-profit clinics double-billing: reportThe federal government has failed to enforce the Canada Health Act's requirements for equal access to hospital care, instead allowing more for-profit medical clinics over the last five years, the Ontario Health Coalition said in a report released Monday.Free drug samples for children a safety risk: studyGiving children free prescription drug samples is a marketing tool that may be unsafe, according to a study published Monday.Hamsters among exotic pets that tots should avoid: U.S. groupYoung children should not have exotic animals as pets because of the risk of disease, says a U.S. pediatrician group. Health FeaturesIN DEPTHNobel PrizeFrom Alfred's willIN DEPTHFood additivesPreservation with a risk?HEALTHPsychologyInside the endurance athlete's mindVIEWPOINTHeather MallickOn controversy, democracy and e-mailHEALTHTuberculosisAnatomy of a killerCHILD PSYCHOLOGYPoliticians' behaviourHow do we explain it to our kids?People who read this also read …
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