TY - JOUR T1 - Impact of Comorbid Conditions on Healthcare Expenditure and Work-related Outcomes in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis JF - The Journal of Rheumatology JO - J Rheumatol SP - 1221 LP - 1229 DO - 10.3899/jrheum.200231 VL - 48 IS - 8 AU - Martin Vu AU - Natalie Carvalho AU - Philip M. Clarke AU - Rachelle Buchbinder AU - An Tran-Duy Y1 - 2021/08/01 UR - http://www.jrheum.org/content/48/8/1221.abstract N2 - Objective To evaluate the effect of comorbid conditions on direct healthcare expenditure and work-related outcomes in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).Methods This is a retrospective analysis of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey from 2006 to 2015 in 4967 adults with RA in the United States. Generalized linear models were used for healthcare expenditure and income, logistic models for employment status, and zero-inflated negative binomial models for absenteeism. Thirteen comorbid conditions were included as potential predictors of direct cost- and work-related outcomes. The models were adjusted for sociodemographic factors including sex, age, region, marital status, race/ethnicity, income, education, and smoking status.Results Patients with RA with heart failure (HF) had the highest incremental annual healthcare expenditure (US$8205, 95% CI $3683–$12,726) compared to those without the condition. Many comorbid conditions including hypertension (HTN), diabetes, depression, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer, stroke, and HF reduced the chance of patients with RA aged between 18–64 years being employed. Absenteeism of employed patients with RA was significantly affected by HTN, depression, disorders of the eye and adnexa, or stroke. On average, RA patients with HF earned US$15,833 (95% CI $4435–$27,231) per year less than RA patients without HF.Conclusion Comorbid conditions in patients with RA were associated with higher annual healthcare expenditure, lower likelihood of employment, higher rates of absenteeism, and lower income. Despite its low prevalence, HF was associated with the highest incremental healthcare expenditure and the lowest likelihood of being employed compared to other common comorbid conditions. ER -