Disease Activity and Work-Related Behavior and Experience Patterns in Patients with Crohn's Disease

Purpose: Earlier studies demonstrated significant restrictions in working activities in patients with Crohn's disease. In lack of systematical studies we aimed to Study the relation between disease activity and work-related behavior and experience patterns (AVEM) in patients with Crohn's disease. Materials and Methods: We assessed the Crohn's disease activity index (CDAI), the stool frequency per day reported on admission as well as the AVEM in 36 Crohn's disease patients (14 male and 22 female) median age 33 [range 19-57] in a single center cross sectional cohort Study. Results: In 22 rehabilitants with work-related risk-experience patterns like the excessively ambitious type (A) and resigned type (B) the median CDAI 142 [77-346] was higher than the median 97 [8-167] CDAI in 14 rehabilitants with health associated experience patterns like the healthy ambitious (G) or the unambitious type (S) (p=0.030). In c-statistic CDAI (cut-off >= 100: AUC=0.78) and stool frequency reported on admission (cut-off >= 3; AUC=0.73) were found to be predictive for diagnosis of risk-experience patterns in patients with crohn's disease. Discussion: Overall, we demonstrate for the first time a relation between disease activity and work-related risk-experience patterns in patients with Crohn's disease. Furthermore, disease activity was predictive for work-related risk-experience patterns in Crohn's patients. Conclusion: Thus, especially rehabilitants with more active Crohn's disease (CDAI >= 100) should be screened for work-related risk-experience patterns.