Workers' sick days 'can predict early death'

[supernova]

The number of days workers take off sick could help to predict if they are at risk of an early death, a new study suggests.


By Kate Devlin, Medical Correspondent
Last Updated: 1:28PM BST 02 Oct 2008

Researchers found that staff who took more than seven days off in a row were 66 per cent more likely to die prematurely than their co-workers.

And those who called in sick with psychiatric problems were twice as likely to die early, according to a study of more than 6,000 civil servants.

The report, by scientists at University College London, warns that sick days should be monitored "to identify groups at increased health risk and in need of intervention."

Almost one third of workers took more than seven days off in a row at least once over the three years studied.

more... http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/3122058/Workers-sick-days-can-predict-early-death.html


The article seems to say that if you take your sick time in clumps, that it's predictable that you'll die early. The question is why? That question doesn't get answered in the article.

What do you think is the cause? I have an idea, but I'll post it later.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. I'm dying to hear your theory. I expect that since I backed out of working altogether I shall

be dying very young. (I'm vastly overweight and have mental illness issues, so it could definitely happen.)

[supernova]

7. Aww, I hope that's not true

You deserve a very long life!

:hug:

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. If I took care of myself, maybe I could. :^P My Nene lived to 93 and my Nana is

still around at 83.

[LisaM]

2. Wow. I've worked at my job for eight years and had one sick day

and that was due to (probably) norovirus that I caught at work!

I have worked with people over the years who just disappear for two or three weeks at a time, as suggested in the article above. It's often for some ephemeral, unprovable thing like a migraine (note: I am not denying that migraines exist and are terrible, I'm just stating that I've seen lots of people over the years who seem to get them in a rather, shall we say, convenenient fashion). This is really interesting to me.

[dropkickpa]

3. That pisses me off

I suffer from horrible migraines, and I drag my ass into work the vast majority of the time (I've missed work for them 2 times in the last 2 years). The few times I've actually missed work, it's been very inconvenient and I ended up coming back to a multitude of cluster-fucks to deal with. BUT, because a lot of people are so ready with this excuse, I always feel like no one is going to believe me when I call with that reason.

[LisaM]

5. Exactly, that was why I was trying to be careful about referencing them

it was just what came to mind. I know someone who really does have migraines, but her time off was usually limited to one or two days. I know others who just vanish from work for two weeks and that's generally what they claim.

[supernova]

8. Yes, same here

I have a chronic condition and I never took time out (though at times maybe I should have) that others seem to. I could never figure out how people got by on their jobs for that.

[notadmblnd]

4. I worked for 28 years. Took 3 week off for my husband's surgery and 3 months for a baby,

other than that I missed no time. When will I die?

[Fresh_Start]

6. most illness related 7+day absenses

are related to major disease or injury

If you've had a heart attack and miss 5 weeks of work, your health is obviously worse than someone who never had a heart attack.

seems obvious