Social and economic effects of non-ulcer dyspepsia

An attempt was made to estimate the total costs of non-ulcer dyspepsia (NUD) in Sweden by extracting information from different available sources. After extrapolation of figures from the in-patient register of the University Hospital in Uppsala to the whole of Sweden, the total annual expenditure for in-patient care was estimated to be 10.3 million SEK. Calculations of costs for out-patient care and drugs were based on data from a nation-wide sample survey, and the total expenses were estimated to be 197.5 million SEK and 60 million SEK, respectively. Among indirect social costs, economic losses due to death and early retirement were found to be comparatively moderate. Production loss due to short-term sick-leave was by far the most dominant item among all social costs. In a study of 88 consecutive patients with NUD, it was revealed that the average NUD patient was responsible for 26 more days of lost production than the average employee. Thus, the total annual cost for short-term sick-leave was estimated to be 2,496 million SEK. The grand total of these calculations amounts to no less than 2,786 million SEK. Although affected by a considerable degree of uncertainty, the presented figures point to important economic consequences for society.