The costs associated with sleep symptoms among patients with fibromyalgia

Abstract

Aims: To assess the costs associated with sleep symptoms among patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Patients & methods: Patients reporting physician-diagnosed FM from the National Health and Wellness Survey were categorized into three groups based on the number of sleep symptoms reported: two or more sleep symptoms (n = 1353), one sleep symptom (n = 574) and no sleep symptoms (n = 269). Annual direct and indirect costs were compared among the groups controlling for relevant confounders. Results: After adjusting for demographic and health characteristics, patients with FM with one, two or more sleep symptoms had higher annual physician costs (US$12,328 and US$12,261, respectively) and higher annual emergency room visit costs (US$846 and US$729, respectively) than patients with FM without any sleep symptoms (physician visit costs: US$9845; emergency room visit costs: US$527; all p < 0.05). Similarly, both patients with one (US$18,100) and two or more sleep symptoms (US$18,428) reported higher total indirect costs compared with those without any sleep symptoms (US$14,711; p < 0.05). Conclusions: Among the FM population, sleep symptoms were prevalent and associated with higher direct and indirect costs, suggesting improved management may have long-term cost savings.

Keywords::

• direct costs
• fibromyalgia
• indirect costs
• sleep symptoms

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Da-In Kim, a research associate with Pfizer Inc., for her assistance coordinating the study and her editorial comments.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

This study was conducted by Kantar Health on behalf of Pfizer Inc, which funded the study. J-S Wagner and M DiBonaventura are full-time employees of Kantar Health who were paid consultants to Pfizer in connection with the analysis and the development of this manuscript. JC Cappelleri is a full-time employee of Pfizer, Inc. At the time of the study and manuscript development, A Chandran was a full-time employee of Pfizer, Inc. The authors have no other relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript apart from those disclosed.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.