World Arthritis Day – Musculoskeletal Diseases are the Main Cause of Work Disability

Musculoskeletal diseases are the main cause of work disability, both in Croatia and in Europe, it was heard at the round table organized by representatives of the initiative “Decade of Bones and Joints” on the occasion of October 12, World Arthritis Day, at the Club of Croatian Writers.

In order to raise public awareness about the impact that musculoskeletal diseases have on individuals and their environment, a coalition “Fit for Work” was established back in May last year, modeled after the umbrella organization of the same name in Europe, and at the suggestion of the Parliamentary Health Committee. The goal of this coalition, which consists of representatives from all relevant institutions, from the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Health to medical associations and the Croatian Pension Insurance Institute, is to prevent these types of diseases, diagnose them early, and enable rehabilitation that will return people suffering from, for example, rheumatoid arthritis, back to the world of work. In this regard, two working groups have been established, one related to inflammatory rheumatic diseases and the other covering lower back pain. Namely, lower back pain (disc, back, spine diseases) is the dominant cause of temporary work disability.

– Temporary work disability is a broader concept that, in addition to illness, also includes, for example, caring for a family member or child. Sick leave refers exclusively to the illness of the worker. Therefore, temporary work disability lasts as long as diagnostic examinations, treatment, and rehabilitation are ongoing, after which a return to the workplace follows. In musculoskeletal diseases, it is the cause of temporary work disability in as many as 23 percent of cases, globally, followed by injuries, respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and other illnesses, said Srebrenka Mesić from HZZO.

In Croatia, rheumatoid arthritis is the most commonly diagnosed and the highest number of people suffer from it in all major cities. Interestingly, in cities such as Virovitica, Čakovec, and Koprivnica, statistics record the highest number of people who cannot return to work due to arthritis, and that temporary work disability in such areas lasts the longest. Mesić interprets these facts as being due to new jobs that are of a “sedentary” type, but also due to questionable availability of rheumatology specialists in smaller areas, which further slows down relative recovery. Of the 170 million people in the EU, 40 percent are of working age, and as many as one-sixth of that number have health issues that affect their work ability. Since musculoskeletal diseases are largely represented in that negative statistic, on the occasion of Arthritis Day, health professionals sent a message through this round table that systematic work on prevention should begin from an early age, increase physical activity, reduce body weight, and prevent the possibility of injury, which implies better working conditions.