Medically unexplained symptoms and the risk of loss of labor market participation - a prospective study in the Danish population

Table 3 Risk of long-term sickness absence, unemployment and disability pensioning during 5-year follow-up in the four groups

	Number	Cases % (N)	Crude RR (95 % CI)	Adjusted RR (95 % CI)
Long-term sickness absence 8 weeks
Healthy group	2433	10.81 (263)	1 (Reference)	1 (Reference)
High-symptom-no-chronic group (MUS)	220	21.36 (47)	2.09 (1.53–2.85)	1.76 (1.28–2.42)
Low-symptom-chronic group	3433	15.38 (528)	1.46 (1.26–1.69)	1.38 (1.19–1.61)
High-symptom-chronic group	519	30.44 (158)	3.12 (2.56–3.08)	2.57 (2.09–3.15)
Unemployment 8 weeks
Healthy group	2431	10.32 (251)	1 (Reference)	1 (Reference)
High-symptom-no-chronic group (MUS)	224	14.73 (33)	1.47 (1.02–2.11)	1.48 (1.02–2.15)
Low-symptom-chronic group	3471	11.38 (395)	1.11 (0.94–1.30)	1.14 (0.97–1.34)
High-symptom-chronic group	560	20.89 (117)	2.12 (1.70–2.62)	2.05 (1.64–2.58)
Disability pensioning
Healthy group	2756	0.80 (22)	1 (Reference)	1 (Reference)
High-symptom-no-chronic group (MUS)	267	2.25 (6)	2.82 (1.14–6.96)	2.06 (0.77–5.52)
Low-symptom-chronic group	4097	3.05 (125)	3.86 (2.46–6.08)	3.59 (2.23–5.77)
High-symptom-chronic group	738	11.38 (84)	14.93 (9.34–23.88)	12.32 (7.51–20.21)
Any of the three events
Healthy Group	2367	18.50 (438)	1 (Reference)	1 (Reference)
High-symptom-no-chronic group (MUS)	211	30.81 (65)	1.78 (1.37–2.31)	1.56 (1.19–2.04)
Low-symptom-chronic group	3294	23.53 (775)	1.29 (1.15–1.46)	1.27 (1.13–1.43)
High-symptom-chronic group	488	43.85 (214)	2.65 (2.25–3.13)	2.43 (2.05–2.87)

All analyses restricted to participants with labor market participation at baseline (sample, n = 7858)
Long-term sickness absence: adjusted for sex, age, education, and history of long-term sickness absence. Participants on sickness absence at baseline or at one month preceding or following baseline were excluded (sample, n = 6605)
Unemployment: adjusted for sex, age, education, and history of unemployment. Participants on unemployment at baseline or at one month preceding or following baseline were excluded (sample, n = 6686)
Disability pensioning: adjusted for sex, age, education
Any of the three events: Adjusted for sex, age, education, history of long-term sickness absence, history of unemployment. Participants on sickness absence or unemployment at baseline or at one month preceding or following baseline were excluded (sample, n = 6360)
Rate Ratios not including unity are printed in bold

ISSN: 1471-2458