Update: direct and indirect costs of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions--United States, 1997.

The medical and societal impact of arthritis and other rheumatic conditions (AORC) has been characterized with respect to disability, ambulatory care, hospitalization, and economic burden. CDC's estimates of the national and state-specific costs of AORC in the United States in 1997 have been published previously. However, CDC has re-estimated indirect costs by enhancing the statistical methods. This report summarizes the results of that analysis, which indicated that indirect costs were 30.1 billion dollars less than previously estimated. The total cost of AORC in the United States in 1997 was 86.2 billion dollars (including 51.1 billion dollars in direct costs and 35.1 billion dollars in indirect costs), approximately 1% of the U.S. gross domestic product. Total costs attributable to AORC by state ranged from 121 million dollars in Wyoming to 8.4 billion dollars in California. Although indirect costs were lower than estimated previously, costs for arthritis remain high and underscore the need for better interventions to reduce the economic burden of arthritis.