Gastrointestinal ills keep people off work

Rochester, Minn. -- A U.S. study finds people with functional gastrointestinal disorders suffer work productivity losses that amount to at least one day a week.

Functional gastrointestinal disorders include irritable bowel syndrome; gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD and functional dyspepsia. The maladies are associated with impaired quality of life and are among the most common causes of work-related absenteeism.

The new study by researchers from the Mayo Clinic and Novartis Pharmaceuticals suggests such disorders also contribute to the problem of "presenteeism" -- going to work, but being less productive.

The study found patients suffering gastrointestinal illnesses report greater work productivity loss and daily impairment over a six-month period than patients with just GERD. The mean hours lost per week for GERD patients were 6.3 compared with 10.3 hours per week for those with the other functional GI disorders.

GERD patients also scored lower on a scale measuring impairment/productivity loss resulting from GI disorders than those patients with chronic functional GI problems, reflecting a greater burden of illness for conditions such as IBS with constipation, chronic constipation and chronic abdominal problems.

The study was presented this week in Philadelphia during the annual scientific meeting of the American College of Gastroenterology.

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