BACKGROUND Globally, diabetes is estimated to affect 246 million people and is increasing. In Australia diabetes has been made a national health priority. While the direct costs of treating diabetes are substantial, and rising, the indirect costs are considered greater. There is evidence that interventions to prevent diabetes are effective, and cost-effective, but the impact on labour force par...

BACKGROUND This was a prospective observational study designed to evaluate direct and indirect costs and quality of life for patients with Crohn's disease in Italy from the perspectives of the National Health System and of society. METHODS A total of 162 male and female subjects aged 18-70 years with Crohn's disease in the active phase and a Crohn's Disease Activity Index score ≥150 were incl...

OBJECTIVE To compare the direct and indirect costs of laparoscopic and open appendicectomy. DESIGN Randomised study. SETTING University hospital, Sweden. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Total costs for a defined period of time for each option. RESULTS 102 patients were randomised and 99 were included in the final analysis. All patients had completely recovered within two months of operation. Disp...

OBJECTIVE To quantify the economic impact of premenstrual syndrome (PMS) on the employer. METHODS Data were collected from 374 women aged 18-45 with regular menses. Direct costs were quantified using administrative claims of these patients and the Medicare Fee Schedule. Indirect costs were quantified by both self-reported days of work missed and lost productivity at work. Regression analyses ...

BACKGROUND Social inequalities in health are a characteristic of almost all European Welfare States. It has been estimated, that this is associated with annual costs that amount to approximately 9% of total member state GDP. We investigated the influence of inequalities in German health care utilization on direct medical costs. METHODS We used longitudinal data from a representative panel stu...

BACKGROUND Heart failure (HF) is an important contributor to both the burden and cost of national healthcare expenditures, with more older Americans hospitalized for HF than for any other medical condition. With the aging of the population, the impact of HF is expected to increase substantially. METHODS AND RESULTS We estimated future costs of HF by adapting a methodology developed by the Ame...

BACKGROUND ME/CFS is characterized by debilitating fatigue in addition to other physical and cognitive symptoms. It is estimated to affect over 800,000 adults in the U.S. ME/CFS often results in diminished functionality and increased economic impact. The economic impact of an illness is generally divided into two categories: direct and indirect costs. Despite high prevalence rates and the disab...

OBJECTIVE To estimate the health-related economic costs attributable to smoking in China for persons aged 35 and older in 2003 and in 2008 and to compare these costs with the respective results from 2000. METHODS A prevalence-based, disease-specific approach was used to estimate smoking-attributable direct and indirect economic costs. The primary data source was the 2003 and 2008 China Nation...

BACKGROUND Schizophrenia is a severe psychotic disorder characterized by significant disturbances in thinking, perception, emotions and behavior. Even if it is not a very frequent disorder, but it is the most burdensome and costly illnesses worldwide. The total population was approximate 1.3 billion and there are approximate 8 million schizophrenic patients in China. Despite the wide-ranging fi...

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