A COST OF ILLNESS STUDY OF ALLERGIC RHINITIS IN THE UNITED-STATES

Background: Allergic rhinitis is a common condition, but the burden of this condition on the national economy is not well understood. Object ive: The purpose of this study was to estimate the national direct and indirect costs of allergic rhinitis. Methods: Data from the National Medical Expenditure Survey were used to provide estimates of resource utilization, medical expenditures, and lost productivity. With the com plex survey design, variance estimates were used to construct confiden ce intervals for cost estimates of resource utilization and lost produ ctivity. Results: it is estimated that approximately 39 million person s in the United Slates experienced allergic rhinitis in 1987. However only 12.3% (4.8 million) sought medical treatment for allergic rhiniti s. The total estimated cost of the condition, in 1994 dollars, was $1. 23 billion (95% confidence interval, $846 million to $1.62 billion). D irect medical expenses accounted for 94% of total costs. Allergic rhin itis resulted in approximately 811,000 missed workdays, 824,000 missed school days, and 4,230,000 reduced activity clays. Conclusion: Allerg ic rhinitis clearly creates a burden in terms of the number of persons affected, total expenditures, and lost productivity. It also appears that a relatively large proportion of persons with allergic rhinitis w ere not seeking medical treatment.