With 12-month prevalence rates of more than 70%, back pain is currently one of the major health problems for German adults and entails major economic consequences. The aim of this study was to estimate back pain-related costs from a societal perspective and to determine the impact of sociodemographic variables on costs. Based on back pain-related survey data of a large German adult sample (9267 respondents, response rate 60%), costs were assessed using a prevalence-based bottom-up approach. Direct costs caused by utilisation of healthcare services, as well as indirect costs due to back pain-related production losses were considered. All prices are expressed in 2005 Euros. Average total back pain costs per patient were estimated to be 1,322 euro (95% CI [1173-1487]) per year. These costs are split between direct (46%) and indirect (54%) costs. Bivariate analysis showed considerable differences in total costs between the Von Korff back pain grades (GCPS Group I: Mean 414.4, 95% CI [333.2-506.3]; II: 783.6 [574.5-1044.4]; III: 3017.2 [2392.9-3708.6]; IV: 7115.7 [5418.5-9006.5]). Male gender, increasing age, single status, low education, unemployment, and increasing back pain grade had a significant positive impact on the cost magnitude in multivariate analysis. Despite several limitations, this study provides important information concerning the relevance of back pain as a health problem and its socioeconomic consequences. The information may be of value for decision-making and allocation of research fund resources.

MI is combined with significant reduction in HRQL compared with the general population. The main impairments occur in the dimension pain/discomfort, usual activities, and particularly anxiety/depression. The relative impairment decreases with higher ages.

Objective: To analyse the psychometric properties of the EuroQol questionnaire (EQ-5D) applied to patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS). Setting: Rehabilitation hospital. Patients and design: 106 consecutive patients with ACS (51% myocardial infarction, 42% coronary artery bypass grafting, 7% angina) completed the EQ-5D, the 36 item short form health survey (SF-36), and the MacNew questionnaire at admission, at discharge, and three months after inpatient cardiac rehabilitation. Acceptance, validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the EQ-5D were tested. Results: The EQ-5D was highly accepted. The EQ-5D index showed substantial ceiling effects after rehabilitation. As expected the EQ-5D visual analogue scale (VAS) score (70.3 v 57.1) and EQ-5D index (77.8 v 64.5) were significantly better for patients with myocardial infarction than for patients who underwent surgery (both p ( 0.001). Significant correlations were found between the EQ-5D VAS score, EQ-5D index, and domains of the SF-36 (r = 0.21 to r = 0.74). The correlation with the MacNew subscores and with the global score ranged between 0.55 and 0.78. With repeated measurement the EQ-5D showed reasonable reliability in stable patients with intraclass correlation ranging between 0.91 and 0.54. EQ-5D was responsive in patients who indicated improvement in health states between admission and discharge (effect size 0.74-0.82). Conclusion:The psychometric properties of the EQ-5D were satisfying. It is a reasonably valid, reliable, and responsive instrument for patients with ACS. It may be useful in clinical research and epidemiological studies to generate preference based valuations of health related quality life.A cute coronary syndromes (ACS) are highly prevalent in western countries. The diagnosis of ACS is associated with a high mortality and leads to increased morbidity, including chronic physical impairments and functional limitations, all of which have an impact on health related quality of life (HRQoL). HRQoL is a subjective measure of well being comprising social, mental, and physical dimensions.1

Measurement of health care costs is a crucial task in health economic evaluation. Various guidelines with different amount of details have been set up for costing methods in economic evaluation which, however, do not precisely stipulate how to value resource consumption. In this article we present a proposal for the standardisation of the monetary valuation of health care utilisation occurring in the follow up period after the actual intervention to be evaluated. From a societal perspective the primary direct and indirect cost components are considered, such as outpatient medical care, pharmaceuticals, non-physician health services, inpatient care, days of sick leave and early retirement due to sickness. The standard costs are based on administrative charges and rates or on official statistics. They are based on the most current data sources which are mainly from 2002 and 2003. This system of standard costs aims at an average valuation of resource consumption. This makes for the comparability of different health economic studies. Most standard costs are not based on market prices but on administratively specified charges and rates. This implies that institutional changes which are quite common in the health care system, may also affect the valuation rates, for example the introduction of DRGs. This should be taken into account when updating the system of standard costs.

Forty patients with Graves' ophthalmopathy stages III-V were divided into two groups in a random manner according to their year of birth. Group I received prednisone in decreasing dosage. Group II received prednisone at a comparable dosage and ciclosporin. Steroids were discontinued after 10 weeks in the two groups. In the patients of group II, ciclosporin was continued over 12 months. The therapeutic effect was assessed by an activity score based on subjective and objective symptoms (computerized tomography and sonography of the orbit, Hertel values, clinical findings). All signs of endocrine ophthalmopathy improved significantly in both groups (P less than 0.01 in group I; P less than 0.001 in group II). The improvement was significantly greater in group II (P less than 0.05) according to the predefined score. After corticosteroids were discontinued, inflammatory signs recurred in nine patients in group I and in one of group II. During the observation period of 12 months, relapses occurred in eight out of twenty patients in group I and in only one out of twenty in group II. Muscle thickness decreased in nine patients in group II, 6 months after beginning therapy. At this time, the results were not influenced in any of the twenty patients in group I. Microsomal antibodies decreased significantly (P less than 0.001) in the ciclosporin group, whereas no change was seen in the other group. Renal values rose within the normal range in group II. In this group, an infection with Klebsiella pneumoniae occurred in one patient after 4 months of therapy.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)