Effect of Wegener's granulomatosis on work disability, need for medical care, and quality of life in patients younger than 40 years at diagnosis.

Objectives: To evaluate the effects of Wegener's granulomatosis (WG) on employment status, work disability, and need for medical care of 60 consecutive WG patients aged < or = 40 years at diagnosis.

Methods: Sixty WG patients (26 male, 34 female) with a median age of 36 years (range 17-48 years) and a median duration of disease of 39 months (range 0-228 months) completed self-administered questionnaires on hospitalization, medical care, and employment status plus the Medical Outcomes Study-Short Form-36 (SF-36) estimating their health-related quality of life.

Results: Thirty-two of the 60 patients reported full- or part-time employment more than 3 years after diagnosis.