Direct and indirect costs of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions--United States, 1997.

Arthritis and other rheumatic conditions (AORC) are the leading cause of disability in the United States. The impact of AORC has been measured in terms of disability, ambulatory care, and hospitalization. To estimate the direct and indirect costs of AORC in the United States, CDC analyzed data from the 1997 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS). This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which found that, in 1997, the total cost of AORC in the United States was 116.3 billion dollars (i.e., 51.1 billion dollars in direct costs plus 65.2 billion dollars in indirect costs), approximately 1.4% of the U.S. gross domestic product. Total costs attributable to AORC, by state, ranged from 163 million dollars in Wyoming to 11.3 billion dollars in California. These results underscore the need, as the U.S. population ages and treatments grow more costly, for state and local public health officials to implement additional self-management programs to help reduce the cost of AORC and help patients improve the quality of their lives.