TY - JOUR T1 - Productivity losses in COPD – A population-based survey JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J VL - 44 IS - Suppl 58 SP - P4771 AU - Marta Erdal AU - Ane Johannessen AU - Jan Erik Askildsen AU - Tomas Eagan AU - Amund Gulsvik AU - Rune Grønseth Y1 - 2014/09/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/P4771.abstract N2 - Background and aims: Treatment-related costs are well known in COPD, but the incremental productivity losses (sick leave and disability) of spirometry-defined COPD in population-based samples are unknown.Methods: We performed 4 quarterly telephone interviews of 53 and 107 population-based COPD patients and controls, as well as 102 hospital-recruited COPD patients. Information was gathered regarding annual productivity loss, exacerbations of respiratory symptoms, and comorbidities. Incremental productivity losses were estimated by multivariate quantile median regression according to the human capital approach, adjusting for sex, age, smoking habits, education and lung function.Results: 55%, 87% and 31% of population based COPD cases, controls and hospital patients had a paid job at baseline. The unadjusted annual mean (SD) number of lost days was 120 (158), 39 (87) and 242 (159) among population based COPD patients, controls and hospital patients, respectively. 38%, 41% and 8% reported zero days of productivity loss. The incremental productivity losses were 5.8 (95% CI 1.5 to 10.0) days and 335.0 (95% CI 332.4 to 337.5) days, comparing population-recruited and hospital-recruited COPD patients to controls, respectively. There were significantly higher productivity losses associated with female sex and less education. Comorbidities and exacerbations explained all productivity losses associated with moderate disease, as well as 24% of the productivity losses in very severe disease.Conclusion: The annual productivity losses associated with COPD were considerable, but nevertheless smaller in population-recruited patients. Comorbidities and respiratory symptom exacerbations were associated with a large fraction of these losses. ER -