Research published today in the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine sheds light on the economic toll on survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome. Nearly 50% of survivors who worked before they were ill were not working after a year, and lost nearly two-thirds of their annual income. The researchers estimated that survivors lost an average of US$27,000 in earnings.

The multicentre study recruited 922 survivors, who were interviewed six and 12 months after the onset of their Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Each survivor was asked about employment status, hours working per week, how long before they returned to work following hospital discharge, perceived effectiveness at work and major change in occupation.

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