OBJECTIVES: Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is a chronic inflammatory debilitating disease known to impact work productivity significantly. This study evaluated the economic impact of productivity loss (PL) associated with RA in the US.

METHODS: This cross-sectional study used the 2015-2019 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) Household Component (HC) and identified working-age adults with and without RA using the MEPS priority conditions variables. The outcome of interest, cost of PL (in 2021 USD), was computed using hourly wage, hours worked per day, and missed workdays. Inverse probability treatment weights (IPTW) were used to account for differences in demographic and clinical characteristics of RA and non-RA subjects. IPTW weighted two-part Generalized Linear Model was used to estimate the cost of PL associated with RA while accounting for the complex survey design.

RESULTS: This study consisted of an unweighted sample of 54,904 working-age adults, representing 127.6 million. There were 1,192 RA patients representing 2.7 million for an overall prevalence of 2.1% [95%CI 1.91%-2.30%]. The adjusted mean cost of PL was $901 [95% CI $853 - $949] for non-RA and $1184 [95% CI $961 - $1406] for those with RA. According to the two-part model estimates, RA subjects had a 47% higher likelihood of having PL than non-RA subjects (Odds Ratio (OR): 1.47; 95% CI: 1.22 - 1.77). However, no statistically significant difference in the expected mean cost of PL was observed across RA and non-RA groups.

CONCLUSIONS: RA patients are associated with a higher likelihood of PL compared to the patients without RA. Treatment strategies need to improve patient functioning to reduce PL associated with the disease.