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European Heart Journal 1991 12(8):1316-1320;
Copyright © 1991 by the European Society of Cardiology.
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© 1991 The European Society of Cardiology

Work absenteeism in men who are labelled hypercholesterolaemic at screening

L. RÅSTAM*,, J. O. FRICK{dagger} and B. GULLBERG*

*Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Lund Malmö, Sweden
{dagger}Bygghälsan (The Organisation for Occupational Health and Safety in the Construction Industry) Skövde, Sweden

Received 26 June 1990; revised 12 November 1990; .

Correspondence: Dr Lennart Råstam, MD, Department of Community Health Sciences, Lund University, Malmö General Hospital, S-21401 Malmö, Saeden

Abstract

Screening participants are frequently informed that they are hvpercholesterolaemic. This study aimed at analysing whether such information induces a feeling of ill health, reflected in increased work absenteeism. A total of 1594 male construction workers aged from 20 to 59 years participated in an occupational health based screening programme. Men with plasma cholesterol ≥ 69 mmol. 1–1 (n = 184) were informed that they were hypercholesterolaemic and that they were at increased risk for heart attack. Comparison of health insurance data for the calendar year before and after screening, revealed that the relative risk for an hypercholesterolaemic subject to increase the annual number of sick-listing episodes was 1·01(95% confidence interval: 0·93–0·10 compared to normocholesterolemic men. The annual number of days on sick leave carried a relative risk of increasing by 0·92 (95% confidence interval. 0·75–1·14). The results suggest that if patients know they are hypercholesterolaemia it does not necessarily mean that they perceive themselves as really ill.

Key Words: Cholesterol • screening • hypercholesterolaemia • sick-listing • work absenteeism


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