Loss of work productivity due to illness and medical treatment

We examined the effects an work productivity of treatment with antihistamin es in a retrospective study using linked health claims data and daily work output records for a sample of nearly 6000 claims processors at a large ins urance company, between 1993 and 1995. We explained the variation in work o utput depending on the subjects' demographic characteristics, their jobs, a nd whether they were treated with "sedating" versus "nonsedating" antihista mines for nasal allergies, Differences of up to 13% in productivity were fo und after the subjects took sedating or nonsedating antihistamines, The obs erved effect suggests substantial indirect economic costs, which zip to now have been largely overlooked because work productivity has proved difficul t to measure objectively.