Work Productivity and Activity Impairment Among Chronic Spontaneous/Idiopathic Urticaria Patients: ResultsFrom The First International Burden of Illness Study (Assure-Csu)

The ASSURE-CSU study is an observational, non-interventional, multinational study conducted to identify and quantify the humanistic and economic burden of illness in inadequately controlled CSU/CIU patients. Here we summarise the work and activity impairment among patients enrolled in Canada, Germany, UK, and the Netherlands. This study included a 1-year retrospective medical record abstraction, a cross-sectional patient-reported outcomes survey and a 7-day prospective patient diary. Adult patients with CSU/CIU inadequately controlled with H1-antihistamines, with disease persisting for ≥12 months were assessed. Patients completed the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment-Specific Health Problem (WPAI-SHP) questionnaire, and Resultswere described as mean (SD). Activity impairment was assessed among all patients; only employed patients were queried about work impairment. A total of 86, 94, 74 and 93 patients completed the patient diary in Canada, Germany, UK and the Netherlands, respectively. Of these, 54.7%, 72.3%, 51.4% and 52.7% patients were currently employed, respectively. In the Canadian cohort, mean time loss due to absenteeism and presenteeism were 6.0% (12.0%) and 29.8% (26.3%) with an overall work productivity impairment of 30.6% (27.0%) and activity impairment of 38.3% (31.3%). Corresponding values for Germany were 7.4% (20.0%), 27.9% (25.7%), 30.5% (26.6%) and 36.4% (28.5%), respectively. In UK, mean time loss due to absenteeism was 9.9% (23.2%), presenteeism 33.1% (30.0%), overall work productivity impairment 35.3% (30.9%) and activity impairment 39.5% (30.3%). In the Netherlands, corresponding values were 2.3% (8.9%), 19.9% (25.4%), 20.7% (26.8%) and 31.0% (27.9%), respectively. The highest percentage of time missed due to CSU/CIU was reported in patients with moderate and severe CSU/CIU. The Resultsare consistent among the countries and demonstrate that symptomatic patients with CSU/CIU experience a substantial impact on their daily activities and that many employed patients are affected at work by their disease.