2023-05-11 09:24:45
Pain is a condition that many people have to deal with, in fact, 80% of the population will have some episode of pain throughout their lives. And in half of the cases, the pain is in the back, an undertreated reality that generates millions of euros in direct and indirect costs and increases the risk of chronification
This situation shows the high cost generated by back and cervical pain, as well as the importance of influencing its acute phase to reduce its economic impact, as reflected in the report “The costs of chronic lumbar and neck pain”driven by the General Council of Official Colleges of Physicians (CGCOM).
It also has the support of the Foundation for the Formation of the Council (FFOMC) and laboratories Zambon.
The main objective of the study is to favor the practice centered on the patient and not on the disease to improve the care follow-up y prevent chronification from pain.
Dealing with pain in its acute phase
Between 5 % and the 20 % of cases of back pain end up becoming chronic.
According to Pedro Novás Rodríguez, economist In charge of the report, “the data show that the economic impact of pain could be reduced if the approach in its acute phase is improved, since it would reduce the cases of chronification and, therefore, the costs associated with it.”
And it is that the economic costs associated with pain are much higher than they appear. And in the case of low back pain, the costs amount to almost 9,000 million eurosand 0,68 % of Spanish GDP.
Thus, the costs of low back pain are comparable to those of other prevalent pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases or the cancer.
Thus, the importance of addressing pain as a economic, social problem and of public health early in its acute phase.
an undertreated pain
The study points out that one of the reasons for the high costs of pain and its chronicity is that it is undertreated.
He 29 % of Spaniards consider that they do not receive a proper treatment and the average time to achieve it is more than a year and a half. And this slowdown in treatment already occurs in the emergency room, where the 40 % of patients do not receive treatment.
The Guide to the Guidelines for Action and Follow-up (PAS) in acute cervical and lumbar painpublished in 2022, focuses on some treatment pathways to deal with pain in its acute phase and reduce the risk of chronic pain.
The main recommendation to treat acute low back pain and neck pain due to its anti-inflammatory and analgesic action are AINE (naproxen, ibuprofen…).
The direct and indirect costs of low back pain
From the report of CGCOM it follows that low back pain generates costs so much direct as indirect.
Direct costs derive from factors such as clinical practicewhich amount to 2.280 million of euros, of which 948 million result from doctor visits.
Concretely, more than two million of annual consultations in primary care are due to pain.
As for indirect costs, they account for almost 75 % of the total.
These costs include the effects derived from pain in the lives of patients, such as lost productivityhe work absenteeism or the mental health risks.
Thus, back pain also affects psychological effectssince once it becomes chronic, patients have four times more chances of developing depression o anxiety and at least the double risk of suicide than people without chronic pain.
#pain #undertreated #reality