New evidence suggests Canadians are paying substantial productivity costs associated with refractory chronic rhinosinusitis: annual price tag $1.3 billion

~ Economic burden of CRS equals direct costs of approximately $860 million annually.
Lost productivity for each CRS patient costs an average of $10,077 per year.

TORONTO, March 20, 2014 /CNW/ - Chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS; also known as chronic sinusitis) affects an estimated one in fourteen (7%) Canadians, making it one of the most frequent inflammatory diseases in the general population. The economic burden of CRS on Canadian health care resources is considerable, with direct costs of medication, doctor visits and surgery assessed at approximately $860 million annually.

Patients affected with chronic sinus disease suffer considerably from headache, facial pain, and sinus infections, and experience a reduced quality of life (QoL), sleep impairment, fatigue, and increased bodily pain. These effects not only result in workplace absenteeism but also negatively impact the productivity at work. Over the course of a year, these workplace costs (productivity costs) are additive and represent a substantial economic burden for society. Until now, the burden of these indirect costs has never been documented—the true economic impact has never been appreciated.

A recent study has provided a first glimpse into the tremendous negative impact this disease has on society. (Rudmik L. et al. Productivity Costs in Patients with Refractory Chronic Rhinosinusitis. Laryngoscope. 2014; Feb 7). In this study, Rudmik et al. demonstrate the productivity costs for CRS patients unresponsive to medical treatment is much more than suspected. On average, individuals suffering from CRS miss 24 days of work per year and lose the equivalent of an additional 39 workdays due to decreased work productivity secondary to their illness. Patients devote an average of 29 minutes per day to caring for their sinus disease leading to a loss of 21 household days yearly. Translated into dollar figures, this lost productivity for each CRS patient costs an average of $10,077 per year. Because of the high prevalence of this disease, with 126,000 Canadians affected by medically refractory CRS, this produces an annual price tag of $1.3 billion to Canadian society.

The substantial cost of lost productivity related to CRS is higher than that associated with other common chronic diseases. The annual productivity cost per patient with diabetes is $3,920, for chronic migraines: $5,755, and for severe asthma: $7,260. This underlines the severe negative impact of refractory CRS on daily functioning which until now has not been appreciated.

The findings from this study provide a strong incentive to improve our understanding of this under-appreciated disease, optimize current treatment protocols and to continue supporting the evaluation of novel clinical interventions to reduce this loss of productivity cost to society.

SOURCE: Red Roof Communications

and interviews with authors, contact: Helen Buckie Lloyd, Red Roof Communications, [phone], [email protected]; Luke Rudmik, MD, MSc (Health Economics), BSc, FRCSC, [email protected]