Work productivity loss among adults aged 18-64 years with Multiple Sclerosis in the United States: A propensity score matched study.

BACKGROUND: Scarce data exists regarding United States (US) national-level work productivity loss among adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS). OBJECTIVE: To address this significant knowledge gap, we examined the national-level productivity loss among adults (18≤ age ≤64 years) with MS compared to propensity score matched non-MS controls. METHODS: We adopted a retrospective, cross-sectional, matched cohort study design with pooled data from alternate years (2005/2007/2009/2011/2013/2015) of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). We included adults who were employed and alive during the calendar year. Clinical Classification System code of "80" was used to identify individuals with MS. We matched adults with MS to non-MS adults utilizing propensity scores generated based on age, gender, and race/ethnicity using a greedy matching algorithm (8:1-digit matching). Missed workdays measured productivity loss of MEPS respondents. We selected Negative Binomial Regression (NBR) analysis as the count data model for this study. Analyses were conducted using SAS 9.4 and STATA 15.0 and accounted for the complex survey design of MEPS to generate US national-level estimates. RESULTS: The final propensity-score matched sample consisted of 104 and 312 (unweighted) adults with and without MS, respectively. US national-level mean [Standard Error (SE)] annual missed workdays among individuals with MS [8.94 (SE:1.59)] was significantly higher (p = 0.001) compared to propensity score matched non-MS controls [3.15 (SE:0.40)]. After adjusting for several factors, NBR showed an approximately two-fold higher rate of missed work days among individuals with MS compared to propensity score matched non-MS controls (Incidence Rate Ratio: 1.98, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.18-3.33). Severity of pain, marital status, region, and hypertension also negatively impacted work productivity in this sample. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals with MS in the US experience significantly higher productivity loss compared to propensity score matched non-MS controls. Interventions (e.g., improved management of MS symptoms) are warranted to reduce productivity loss among individuals with MS.

Health-related risk behaviors among myocardial infarction survivors in the United States: A propensity score matched study.

BACKGROUND: According to the American College of Cardiology/the American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) recommendations, health-related risk behaviors for secondary prevention of myocardial infarction (MI) are critical to determine. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare health-related risk behaviors between MI survivors and propensity-score-matched non-MI controls using nationally representative data. METHODS: This cross-sectional, matched case-control study used publicly available Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2017 data. Older adults with MI were propensity-score-matched to their non-MI controls. The 10 dependent variables included body mass index (BMI), smoking status, heavy alcohol consumption, influenza vaccine, length of time since last routine and cholesterol checkup, alcohol consumption, fruit and vegetable consumption, and physical activity. Chi-square tests and binomial logistic regression were used to examine the health-related risk behaviors differences between MI survivors and propensity-score-matched non-MI controls. RESULTS: The final study sample consisted of 18,021 MI survivors and 54,063 non-MI controls after propensity score matching. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed significant differences between MI survivors and matched non-MI controls in terms of cholesterol checkup, smoking status, and alcohol consumption. For example, multivariate analysis of health-related risk behaviors showed MI survivors were more likely to be smokers (AOR = 1.46, 95% CI: 1.28-1.68). CONCLUSION: Based on this national survey of adults, MI survivors were more likely to be smokers but less likely to consume alcohol compared to their propensity-score-matched controls. Moreover, MI survivors were more likely to have their cholesterol checkup within the past 2 years compared to matched non-MI controls. Although lower alcohol consumption and greater chances of cholesterol checkups are reassuring health-related behaviors, interventions are needed to minimize the chances of smoking in this population.

Influence of Comorbidities on Healthcare Expenditures and Perceived Physical and Mental Health Status Among Adults with Multiple Sclerosis: A Propensity Score-Matched US National-Level Study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of comorbidities on healthcare expenditures and perceived physical and mental health status among adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) compared to propensity score-matched non-MS controls. METHODS: A retrospective, cross-sectional, matched cohort study was conducted using Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (2005-2015) data. The base study sample consisted of adults (age ≥18 years) who were alive and had positive total healthcare expenditures during the survey calendar year. Adults with MS were propensity-matched (1:1) to non-MS controls based on age, gender, and race/ethnicity using greedy matching algorithm. Healthcare expenditures consisted of total and subtypes of expenditures. Health status consisted of perceived physical and mental health status. Comorbidities were identified using ICD-9-CM and Clinical Classification System codes. Ordinary least squares regression and multinomial logistic regression were used to analyze the healthcare expenditures and health status variables, respectively. RESULTS: Final study sample consisted of 541 adults in each MS and non-MS control groups after propensity score matching. After adjusting for potential confounders, individuals with MS had greater total and subtypes of expenditures compared to non-MS controls, and several comorbidities (eg, depression, hypertension) were significantly associated with increased healthcare expenditures. Yearly average total expenditures (expressed in 2018 US$) were significantly (p<0.001) higher for adults with MS ($29,396) than propensity score-matched non-MS adults ($7875). Moreover, after adjusting for all individual-level factors, adults with MS experienced 363% (p<0.001) higher total expenditures compared to propensity score-matched non-MS controls. Individuals with MS were more likely to report poorer physical and good mental health status compared to propensity score-matched non-MS controls, and several comorbidities (eg, anxiety, depression) were significant independent predictors of poorer health status. For example, adults with MS were four times more likely (OR: 4.10, 95% CI: 2.42-6.96) to report fair/poor physical health status compared to excellent/very good physical health status compared with non-MS controls. Adults with MS were 42% (OR: 1.42, 95% CI: 1.01-1.99) more likely than propensity score-matched non-MS controls to report good rather than very good or excellent mental health status. However, there was no difference between adults with MS and propensity score-matched non-MS controls in terms of reporting fair or poor than very good or excellent mental health status. CONCLUSION: Findings from this study indicate substantial economic and health status burdens among adults with MS at the US national-level that are significantly influenced by comorbidities.