The study identified 6 key themes highlighting how gout impacts work life, including the severity of physical symptoms, the challenge of physically demanding jobs, and emotional and social experiences.
Cesar Díaz-Torné, MD, PhD
Credit: Doctoralia
A recent study presented at the 2024 European Congress of Rheumatology (EULAR) highlighted the multifaceted impact of gout on a patient’s work and employment, with results underscoring the importance of effective disease management and workplace adaptations.1
“Gout is the most common form of inflammatory arthritis that causes pain and inflammation and reduces patients’ quality of life,” wrote a team of investigators led by Cesar Díaz-Torné, MD, PhD, associated with the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, Spain.1 “Previous qualitative studies have analyzed the impact of gout on various domains, but there have been no previous studies designed to examine its impact on work and employment.”
Prior data analyzing the impact of gout on work absence and productivity revealed patients with gout had 4.56 more annual absence days among all prespecified categories of health-related work absence compared with those without gout. These patients were also less productive, although not significantly, compared with controls.2
This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews to better understand how gout influences both work and employment. Eligible participants lived in New Zealand and Spain, met the 2015 American College of Rheumatology (ACR)/EULAR classification criteria for gout, and had experienced a gout flare at some point during their working years. The diversity of demographics, job types, and gout characteristics were ensured using a purposive sampling technique.1
Interviewers asked participants about the impact of their gout while working, co-worker reactions, job changes, and disclosure. The interviews were recorded and transcribed.1
In total, 18 patients were included in the study, with subjects ranging in age from 29 to 74 years and most (n = 16/18) were male. Occupations of patients included engineers, teachers, a government officer, an architect, and a wharf worker.1
Ultimately, 6 key themes were identified:
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