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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Taking sick days off from work because you have the flu may set you back at the office, but new research shows taking long spells of sick leave may set back your life expectancy.
Researchers at the University College London investigated whether or not employees who took long spells of sick leave were at a higher risk of death than their colleagues who didnt take sick leave. After studying the absence records of 6,478 British civil servants, researchers found 30 percent of men and women who had one or more medically certified absence (of more than seven days) in three years had a 66 percent increased risk of premature death than those with no such absence.
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It was also noted that by including the diagnosis for sickness absence, patients significantly improved the prediction of death risk. Employees taking sick leave due to circulatory disease were four times more likely to die prematurely than their colleagues with no absence. Those who took leave due to psychiatric diseases were nearly twice as likely to die prematurely.
Study authors concluded that monitoring reasons for taking sick leave could be helpful in identifying groups at increased health risks who may benefit from target intervention.
SOURCE: BMJ, published online October 2, 2008
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