Social cost of chronic pain in Italy

Il costo sociale del dolore cronico in Italia

Abstract

Chronic pain negatively impacts on sick people's daily life and their working ability, and it is a heavy financial burden on the health systems. This article is aimed at evaluating the social costs of chronic pain in Italy. The analysis is based on national tariffs and prices and on epidemiologic, health resource consumption, and absence from work published data; when no information specifically related to Italy was available, results from studies carried out in other European Countries were used as appropriate. The average annual cost per patient amounts to €4,556, 31% of which (€1,400) is charged on the National Health Service. Of this share, 51% is due to hospitalisation and 6% to analgesic drug (mostly NSAIDs) costs. Indirect costs (€3,157) are caused by sickness leaves (31%) and retirements. Based on an estimated prevalence of 8 million people with pain in Italy, the impact of chronic pain direct costs on public health expenditure results 9.6%, whereas the impact of total costs on gross domestic product is 2.3%. Such results confirm that chronic pain implies high costs, both medical and social, in Italy too.