Division of General Internal Medicine
           Section of Social Medicine

  Contact Information
  David R. Buchanan, MD
  Section Head
  Section of Social Medicine
  1900 W. Polk, 9th Floor
  Chicago, IL 60612
  david_buchanan@rush.edu

  Lisa Stevak, MA
  Section Coordinator
  Tel: 312-864-7333
  Fax: 312-864-9500
  lisa_stevak@rush.edu

January 22, 2007

Presenter:  Emily Engelland, MD

Agenda
9:30- 9:35
   Business Items:  Update of Section Member Activities

9:35-10:30
   Emily Engelland will discuss "Asthma, Work, and Disability."
 

Meeting Minutes
11 people attended the meeting. 

Business

·       Lisa announced she would update the website by the end of January. 

Presentation

Emily Engelland introduced her presentation, “Asthma, Work and Disability” with a patient-centered approach, explaining that patients with asthma perceive the disease as a major factor contributing to the loss of a job, the need to change jobs, and/or a reduction in the number of hours worked and therefore income loss.  Five percent of adults in the U.S. have asthma.  Studies show that people with chronic health conditions are less likely to be employed.  If an employee with asthma has an additional illness, that person is even more likely to be unemployed.

In contrast, employers view asthma in terms of lost productivity and cost.  Asthma affects employment status.  Employers estimate that $221 million are lost in decreased productivity, not to mention the number of days employees with asthma do not come into work. 

However, medical variables alone do not determine continuous employment.  A literature review indicates that age, education, length of time at a job, and sick leave benefits appear to influence the likelihood of remaining at a job, with level of education being the primary indicator.  People with asthma who work as laborers are more likely to change jobs.  Not surprisingly, vapor, gas, dust, fumes, chemical smells, and poor ventilation increase the need for people with asthma to change jobs. 

One study showed that people diagnosed as suffering from occupational asthma (OA) are more likely to receive workers compensation than people with work aggravated asthma (WAA), even though both groups experience similar rates of job change and reduction in income.  Although patients with OA do not completely recover after removal from exposure and are therefore considered permanently disabled from a medical perspective, it continues to be extremely difficult for people with asthma to receive disability status. 

For more information on this important topic and Dr. Engelland’s research, please contact her at emilyengelland@gmail.com

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Contact the webmaster with questions or comments. Site updated 02/05/2007.