The economic burden of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome in Australia.

Objective This study aimed to estimate costs of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) to patients, government and Australian society. Methods Australian ME/CFS patients and their carers were recruited using convenience sampling. Patients completed an online retrospective cost diary, providing ME/CFS-related direct medical, non-medical and indirect costs. Informal care costs were collected directly from carers. Data from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme and Medicare Benefits Schedule were linked to participant survey data. Annual per patient and total societal costs were estimated, broken down by category and presented in 2021 AUD. Factors associated with higher costs were investigated using generalised linear models. Results One hundred and seventy five patients (mean age 49 years s.d. 14, 79.4% female) completed the cost diary. Estimated total annual societal costs of ME/CFS in Australia ranged between $1.38 and $10.09 billion, with average annual total costs of $63 400/patient. Three-quarters of these costs were due to indirect costs ($46 731). Disability severity was the key factor associated with higher costs, particularly for indirect costs (being 2.27-fold higher for severe disability than no/mild disability). Conclusions ME/CFS poses a significant economic burden in Australia, owing mainly to high indirect and informal care costs.

The relative contribution of co-morbidities to health-related quality of life of people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis using the Assessment of Quality of Life-8-Dimension multi-attribute utility instrument.

PURPOSE: Little is known about the impact of co-morbidities on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We aimed to investigate the relative contribution of co-morbidities to HRQoL of people with IPF. METHODS: N = 157 participants were recruited from the Australian IPF Registry (AIPFR). Health state utilities (HSUs), and the super-dimensions of physical and psychosocial scores were measured using the Assessment of Quality of Life-8-Dimensions (AQoL-8D). The impact of co-morbidities on HRQoL was investigated using linear regression and general dominance analyses. RESULTS: A higher number of co-morbidities was associated with lower HSUs (p trend = 0.002). Co-morbidities explained 9.1% of the variance of HSUs, 16.0% of physical super-dimensional scores, and 4.2% of psychosocial super-dimensional scores. Arthritis was associated with a significant reduction on HSUs (ß = - 0.09, 95% confidence interval [CI] - 0.16 to - 0.02), largely driven by reduced scores on the physical super-dimension (ß = - 0.13, 95% CI - 0.20 to - 0.06). Heart diseases were associated with a significant reduction on HSUs (ß = - 0.09, 95% CI - 0.16 to - 0.02), driven by reduced scores on physical (ß = - 0.09, 95% CI - 0.16 to - 0.02) and psychosocial (ß = -0.10, 95% CI - 0.17 to - 0.02) super-dimensions. CONCLUSIONS: Co-morbidities significantly impact HRQoL of people with IPF, with markedly negative impacts on their HSUs and physical health. A more holistic approach to the care of people with IPF is important as better management of these co-morbidities could lead to improved HRQoL in people with IPF.