Health care expenditures associated with pediatric pain-related conditions in the United States.
The primary objective of this study was to assess the impact of pediatric pain-related conditions on health care expenditures. We analyzed data from a nationally representative sample of 6- to 17-year-old children captured in the 2007 National Health Interview Survey and 2008 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey. Health care expenditures of children with pain-related conditions were compared with those of children without pain-related conditions. Pain-related conditions were associated with incremental health care expenditures of $1339 (95% confidence interval [CI], $248-$2447) per capita. Extrapolated to the nation, pediatric pain-related conditions were associated with $11.8 billion (95% CI, $2.18-$21.5 billion) in total incremental health care expenditures. The incremental health care expenditures associated with pediatric pain-related conditions were similar to those of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder ($9.23 billion; 95% CI, $1.89-$18.1 billion), but more than those associated with asthma ($5.35 billion; 95% CI, $0-$12.3 billion) and obesity ($0.73 billion; 95% CI, $6.28-$8.81 billion). Health care expenditures for pediatric pain-related conditions exert a considerable economic burden on society. Efforts to prevent and treat pediatric pain-related conditions are urgently needed.
Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, Seattle Children's Hospital, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA Center for Child Health, Behavior and Development, Seattle Children's Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA.
Cornelius B
CB
Groenewald
Davene R
DR
Wright
Tonya M
TM
Palermo
D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000191:economics*; D010372:Pediatrics / Q000191:economics*; D014481:United States