Gender trends in sick-listing with musculoskeletal symptoms in a Swedish county during a period of rapid increase in sickness absence

Abstract

Sickness absence and disability pension due to musculoskeletal diagnoses has increased in Sweden. Study objective — To study gender trends in sickness absence with musculoskeletal diagnoses and its changes in 1985—87. Design — A prospective population-based study of all new sick-leave spells exceeding seven days in 1985—87. Sickness absence with ``all diagnoses'' was compared to ``all musculoskeletal diagnoses'', the latter group was also divided into three sub-groups. Setting — The county of Östergötland, Sweden. Participants — All sick-leave insured aged 16—65; 107,000 women and 100,000 men. Results — More women than men were sick-listed in ``all diagnoses'' in 1985. There were corresponding gender differences in sickness absence with musculoskeletal diagnoses except with the diagnosis ``low back pain''. Sick-listing with musculoskeletal diagnoses increased for both women and men from 1985 to 1987, but the increase was consistently much higher for women, especially for younger women.