title: The burden cost of French patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The impact of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) on health-care resource use in France is evaluated, and explanatory variables determined.
  
  
  METHODS
  A questionnaire comprising socio-demographic characteristics, symptoms, consumption of resources, quality of life and impact of IBS on productivity was administered by telephone to a sample of 253 French adults with IBS recruited from the general population, and diagnosed with IBS using several well-known diagnostic criteria. The medical costs were estimated on a monthly basis and included medication(s), physicians' consultations, investigations and hospitalizations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Mean age was 48.3 years and 75% of subjects were women (192). Thirty-six percent of subjects had suffered from IBS for more than 10 years; 77% had consulted a general practitioner and 43% a gastroenterologist. Twenty-nine percent of subjects had undergone an investigation and 25% reported hospitalization; 61% of patients reported that they were taking medication. The average monthly medical costs was 71.8 euros (95% CI = [57.6-86.0]) with an asymmetric distribution (median = 28.1 euros) because of a high proportion of subjects (27%) who reported receiving no care at all. The two principal cost components were investigations (39%), and hospitalizations (22%). The highest medical costs were associated with subjects who were very elderly or suffered from severe symptoms (very severe pain), and were correlated with the lowest quality of life scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  IBS has a major impact on resource consumption and the productivity of patients. Determination of the variables to explain medical costs showed that advanced age, severe pain and deterioration in quality of life could be predictive of high medical costs.
authors.affiliation: Université Paris-Dauphine and CLP Santé, Paris, France. claude.lepen@clp-sante.fr
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Le Pen
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ruszniewski
authors.forename: A F
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Gaudin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Amouretti
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Bommelaer
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Frexinos
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Poynard
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Maurel
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Priol
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bertin
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005602:France; D017048:Health Care Costs; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D043183:Irritable Bowel Syndrome / Q000191:economics* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology