Predictors of work disability during the first 3 years after diagnosis in a national rheumatoid arthritis inception cohort

Objective To identify predictors of sick leave and disability pension in patients with early rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Methods Individuals aged 19–59 years diagnosed with early RA (≤12 months symptom duration) were identified in the Swedish Rheumatology Quality Register (1999–2007; n=3029). We retrieved days of sick leave and disability pension from the Swedish Social Insurance Agency and baseline predictors of total work days lost during 3 years after RA diagnosis were investigated using linear regression. Due to effect modification by baseline work ability (defined as work days lost the month before diagnosis), analyses were stratified into three categories: full=0 work days lost the month before diagnosis; partial=1–29 work days lost; and none=30 work days lost. Results 71% of patients with full baseline work ability still had full work ability after 3 years compared with 36% (p