The 2023 Impact of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Canada: Indirect (Individual and Societal) and Direct Out-of-Pocket Costs

Abstract

People living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and their caregivers are faced with indirect and out-of-pocket costs that they would not otherwise experience. These costs impact one’s ability to contribute to the economy to their fullest potential. The indirect costs of IBD in Canada are estimated to be at least $1.51 billion in 2023 and include costs associated with lost productivity resulting from a combination of missed work (absenteeism), decreased workplace productivity (presenteeism), unemployment, premature mortality, and caregiving costs. Unemployment is the largest contributor to indirect costs ($1.14 billion), followed by costs of absenteeism and presenteeism ($285 million). Caregiving costs for children with IBD are estimated to be nearly $58 million. Canadians with IBD also pay $536 million every year for care that is not covered by universal or supplemental private health insurance; this includes allied healthcare (e.g., care provided by psychologists), medication, and other supportive therapy. Combined, the indirect and out-of-pocket costs of IBD in Canada are estimated at more than $2 billion CAD in 2023. This is substantially higher than the estimate of $1.29 billion in Crohn’s and Colitis Canada’s 2018 Impact of IBD report with differences attributable to a combination of rising prevalence, inflation, and the addition of presenteeism and caregiving costs to the total indirect costs.

Impact of an intervention program on drug adherence in patients with ulcerative colitis: Randomized clinical trial

“…The variables that showed differences of p <0. 20 were included in the construction of the regression models. For adjustments for potential confounders, Multiple Linear Regression was used to adjust the effect of the intervention by confounding variables.…”

“…The disease has a high negative impact on quality of life (QoL) and treatment is time consuming, maintained even in the remission phase, thus increasing the risk of non-adherence [15][16][17][18]. Uncontrolled UC is a socially limiting condition due to its embarrassing symptoms, causing absenteeism and frequent consultations for medical care, in addition to emotional and behavioral difficulties [19,20].…”