Morbidity leading to temporary work disability

Introduction To identify health conditions leading to benefits due to temporary work disability population of insured workers. Methods International Classyification of Diseases (ICD) codes,for conditions resulting in temporary work-disability (E-31) were retrieved from the National Institute of Social Security (INSS) data bank in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in 1998. The ICD codes related to the workers disability assigned ill the early medical expert examination (aXI) were used to describe the main disability causes and groups of conditions. Results A total of 6,898 disability benefits were allowed to insured workers: 1,486 (22%) were attiributed to "exetrnal causes": 1,181 (17%) to "surgery recovery" (subdivided as follows; 34% gastrointestinal; 26% genitourinary; 11% musculoskelelol; and 10% external causes): and 4,119 (61%) to "medical conditions" (subdivided as follows: 24.8% musculoskeletal diseases: 18.9% mental diseases: and 16.2% cardiovascular diseases). When compared to a similar Brazilian study conducted in 1986, external causes moved up from fourth to the first position as a determinant of temporary work disability Conclusions The main causes of disability identified, accidents and violence, musculoskeletal diseases awl mental diseases, are potentially associated to the worsening of the quality of life and work conditions during the study and should be a (preventive and therapeutic) priority in the nations unified health care (SUS) agenda. The study shows the viability of referring to the INSS dolo bank in morbidity stiudies.