Abstract
To assess the economic cost of chronic pain in Ireland, information was gathered from
140 people with chronic pain. Direct and indirect costs attributable to chronic pain
and medical conditions of which chronic pain was a feature were recorded retrospectively
for 12 months. Mean cost per chronic pain patient was estimated at €5,665 per year
across all grades of pain, with mean costs increasing according to the severity of
pain. A small proportion of patients account for the bulk of costs—the top 5% most
expensive patients accounted for 26.4% of costs, with a mean cost per patient of €29,936,
and the 10% most expensive patients were responsible for 42.8% of all costs. Total
cost for individuals aged 20 and above was estimated at €5.34 billion per year, or
2.86% of Irish GDP in 2008. Those with clinically elevated depression scores had costs
that were twice as high as people who scored below the depression cut-off score. Chronic
pain services in Ireland are generally underresourced. Improved coordination and better
management of patients via interdisciplinary pain rehabilitation program is essential
and may offer a means of reducing the sizeable economic burden of chronic pain.
Perspective
The cost of chronic pain per patient was €5,665 per year extrapolated to €5.34 billion
or 2.86% of GDP per year. Those with clinically significant depression had costs twice
as high as those without depression. The significant burden of chronic pain highlights
the need for cost effective interventions to reduce long-term disability.
Key words
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
October 18,
2011
Received in revised form:
September 27,
2011
Received:
May 5,
2011
Footnotes
Supported by the Health Research Board, Ireland; the Health Service Executive, Health Intelligence Unit and Galway Local Health Office, Ireland.
The authors have no conflicts of interest to declare.
Identification
Copyright
© 2012 American Pain Society. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
