ArticleBMC public health2015
Medically unexplained symptoms and the risk of loss of labor market participation--a prospective study in the Danish population.
Article in BMC public health, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed.
- Implementing a complex innovation into workplace operations: The case of work ability support for indoor environment-associated health complaints.Work (Reading, Mass.) · 2026Article
- The effects of a structured communication tool in patients with medically unexplained physical symptoms: a cluster randomized trial.EClinicalMedicine · 2023Article
- Non-Cardiac Chest Pain as a Persistent Physical Symptom: Psychological Distress and Workability.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- A randomized controlled trial protocol for persistent physical symptoms associated with indoor environment or chronic fatigue: Effectiveness of video-based functional case conceptualization and web-program for improving quality of life.Frontiers in psychology · 2022Article
- "I'm So Tired": Fatigue as a Persistent Physical Symptom among Working People Experiencing Exhaustion Disorder.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2021Article
- Prognostic Factors for Staying at Work for Partially Sick-Listed Workers with Subjective Health Complaints: A Prospective Cohort Study.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Article
- Predicting return to work after long-term sickness absence with subjective health complaints: a prospective cohort study.BMC public health · 2020Article
- The quality of the sickness certificate. A case control study of patients with symptom and disease specific diagnoses in primary health care in Sweden.Scandinavian journal of primary health care · 2019Article
- Comparing occasional and persistent frequent attenders in occupational health primary care - a longitudinal study.BMC public health · 2018Article
- Limitations to Work-Related Functioning of People with Persistent "Medically Unexplained" Physical Symptoms: A Modified Delphi Study Among Physicians.Journal of occupational rehabilitation · 2017Article
- Article
- Medically unexplained physical symptoms and work functioning over 2 years: their association and the influence of depressive and anxiety disorders and job characteristics.BMC family practice · 2016Article
- Efficacy of Adjunctive Single Session Counseling for Medically Unexplained Symptoms: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Indian journal of psychological medicineArticle
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) are frequently encountered in general practice. However, little is known whether MUS affects labor market participation. We investigated the prospective association between MUS at baseline and risk of long-term sickness absence (LTSA), unemployment, and disability pensioning in a 5-year-follow-up study.
methodsIn the Danish Work Environment Cohort Study 2005, 8187 randomly selected employees from the Danish general population answered a questionnaire on work and health. Responses were linked with national registers on prescribed medication and hospital treatment. Participants were classified with MUS if they: a) had reported three or more symptoms during the last month, and b) did not have a chronic condition, neither in the self-reported nor the register data. We assessed LTSA, unemployment, and disability pensioning by linking our data with National registers of social transfer payments.
resultsOf the 8187 participants, 272 (3.3%) were categorized with MUS. Compared to healthy participants, participants with MUS had an increased risk of LTSA (Rate ratio (RR) = 1.76, 95% CI = 1.28-2.42), and of unemployment (RR = 1.48, 95% CI = 1.02-2.15) during follow-up. MUS participants also showed an elevated RR with regard to risk of disability pensioning, however this association was not statistically significant (RR = 2.06, 95% CI = 0.77-5.52).
conclusionMUS seem to have a negative effect on labor market participation defined by LTSA and unemployment, whereas it is more uncertain whether MUS affects risk of disability pensioning.
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