The burden of skin diseases: 2004 a joint project of the American Academy of Dermatology Association and the Society for Investigative Dermatology.
Skin disease is one of the top 15 groups of medical conditions for which prevalence and health care spending increased the most between 1987 and 2000, with approximately 1 of 3 people in the United States with a skin disease at any given time. Even so, a national data profile on skin disease has not been conducted since the late 1970s. This study closes the gap by estimating the prevalence, economic burden, and impact on quality of life for 22 leading categories of skin disease. The estimated annual cost of skin disease in 2004 was 39.3 billion dollars, including 29.1 billion dollars in direct medical costs (costs of health services and products) and 10.2 billion dollars in lost productivity costs (defined as costs related to consumption of medical care, costs associated with impaired ability to work, and lost future earning potential because of premature death). Based on a methodology of willingness to pay for symptom relief, the additional economic burden of skin disease on quality of life amounted to an estimated 56.2 billion dollars. Including the economic burden on quality of life, the total economic burden of skin disease to the US public in 2004 was approximately 96 billion dollars.
Bickers
David R
DR
Department of Dermatology, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, USA.
Lim
Henry W
HW
Margolis
David
D
Weinstock
Martin A
MA
Goodman
Clifford
C
Faulkner
Eric
E
Gould
Ciara
C
Gemmen
Eric
E
Dall
Tim
T
D017281:Cost of Illness; D016208:Databases, Factual; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012871:Skin Diseases / Q000191:economics / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy