2023-06-13 13:30:00
In Italy, rheumatoid arthritis costs the community over 2 billion euros every year, between direct and indirect costs. It is one of the most dreaded and painful rheumatological diseases with possible clinical remission in about 50-60% of patients, a common goal for the rheumatologist and for the patient which would make it possible to reduce the economic burden for the National Health Service and for the 300 thousand Italians forced to live with Ar. Suffice it to say that the pathology has an economic burden on each patient of more than 12,000 euros a year. To achieve this goal, however, it is essential to count on early diagnosis and rapid therapeutic intervention.
This is what emerged today at the press conference “Remission of rheumatoid arthritis: the future is now” promoted by AbbVie in the Sala Caduti di Nassiriya of the Senate during which the results of a cost-of-illness analysis conducted by the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart were illustrated to determine the economic impact linked to the management of the adult patient with Moderate to severe active AR.
The meeting was also an opportunity to present “Complete the Picture – Don’t settle for a half life: talk to your rheumatologist”the information campaign on AR promoted by AbbVie and created with the patronage of Apmarr and Anmar, focused on www.missioneremissione.it, a website where it is possible to find information on the disease and practical advice for its daily management, in-depth video with rheumatologists, nutritionists, psychologists and physiatrists.
As many as 23.7 million people worldwide and about 300,000 in Italy (with 5,000 new diagnoses each year) are affected by rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory rheumatic disease “which can cause severe joint pain, swelling, stiffness and loss of function, causing disabling consequences”, says Gian Domenico Sebastiani, president of the Italian Society of Rheumatology (SIR) who adds: “It usually affects the hands, feet and wrists and a general symptom is tiredness – recalls the expert – Patients can have sudden exacerbations, or periods in which symptoms worsen, difficult to predict. Clinical remission is a goal of primary importance for the rheumatologist and, especially today that we have expanded the therapeutic armamentarium, achieving remission is possible”.
Rheumatoid arthritis cannot be cured, “however, over the past 20 years, the progress achieved has allowed many patients to achieve remission – underlines Fausto Salaffi, associate professor of Rheumatology at the Rheumatology clinic of the Jesi Hospital (Ancona) – which can be defined as the condition in which the signs and symptoms of the disease are completely absent or in any case occur rarely.Patients in remission have a better quality of life, greater physical function and also a higher work capacity than patients with low disease activity. should always apply tight control of the disease, allowing the patient to achieve remission quickly”.
In Italy, the economic burden associated with rheumatoid arthritis – it emerged from the meeting – exceeds an average annual expenditure of 2 billion euros; of these, approximately 931 million are attributable to direct costs incurred by the NHS (45% of the total economic weight), approximately 205 million are borne by patients in terms of direct non-medical costs and approximately 900 million of indirect costs are attributable to loss of productivity for lost working days or social security benefits. The results of the analysis “represent the first Italian data on the economic value of remission in AR – declares Americo Cicchetti, full professor of Business Organization at the Faculty of Economics of the Catholic University and director of Altems – In particular, we want to focus on the commitment economic burden on the shoulders of both the patient and the caregiver: the lack of remission in RA, especially in the more severe forms of the pathology, causes, for example, absenteeism and loss of productivity, both for the patient and for the caregiver: the former can reach lose more than 5 working days a month, about 72 hours a month, 892 a year therefore, which correspond to an economic loss of more than 12,000.00 euros a year; the second works out at 25 hours a month, 300 a year for an economic loss of around 450.00 euros a year”.
According to Antonella Celano, founder and president of Apmarr, National Association of People with Rheumatological and Rare Diseases, clinical remission “must be the priority objective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. Being in remission does not mean having defeated the pathology and each patient interprets it differently: for some it coincides with the total absence of symptoms, while others define it as this when they only experience occasional exacerbations. Remission, especially when it is continuous and long-lasting, allows us people with AR to live a normal life, being able to continue working and without having to give up something even from a social point of view”.
“The goal of patient associations is to concretely support and help all people suffering from rheumatic diseases – continues Silvia Tonolo, president of Anmar National Association of Rheumatic Patients – The path that leads to acceptance of the disease is long and tortuous, talking about Ar it often constitutes a taboo also because it is a pathology that is not yet well known, unlike cardiovascular diseases or oncological diseases. Uncertainty, frustration as well as pain and fatigue affect people to varying degrees; for this reason, open and direct discussion between doctor and patient is of vital importance, which must have the clinical remission of the disease as its main objective”.
“Italy, thanks to the commitment and expertise of our clinicians, is at the forefront in the fight against rheumatoid arthritis. But we have to do even more – said the honorable Simona Loizzo, XII Social Affairs Commission of the Chamber – the institutions, in fact, working alongside scientific societies, patient associations and companies, can contribute substantially not only by guaranteeing more resources but also by promoting measures to support people who live with such disabling pathologies”.
“The creative idea of the campaign, which proposes a guitar cut in half, comes from the awareness that living with rheumatoid arthritis is not easy and forces us to make sacrifices, not being able to live our lives to the fullest – concludes Annalisa Iezzi , AbbVie Medical Director – Too many rheumatoid arthritis patients failing to achieve remission of the disease are forced to live half lives, just like the campaign guitar. We are proud to carry out this awareness-raising initiative and firmly believe that joint work between companies, clinicians, patient associations and institutions is essential to improve the quality of life of people with rheumatological diseases”.
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