Kd. Ramaiah et al., Treatment costs and loss of work time to individuals with chronic lymphatic filariasis in rural communities in south India, TR MED I H, 4(1), 1999, pp. 19-25
This year-round case-control study investigated treatment costs and work ti
me loss to people affected by chronic lymphatic filariasis in two rural com
munities in south India. About three-quarters of the patients sought treatm
ent for filariasis at least once and 52% of them paid for treatment, incurr
ing a mean annual expenditure of Rs. 72 (U5 $ 2.1; range Rs. 0-1360 (US $ 3
9.0)). Doctor's fees and medicines constituted 57% and 23% of treatment cos
ts. The proportion of people seeking treatment was smaller and treatment co
sts constituted a higher proportion of household income in lower income gro
ups. Most patients did not leave work, but spent only 4.36 +/- 3.41 h per d
ay on economic activity compared to 5.25 +/- 3.52 h worked by controls; the
mean difference of 0.89 +/- 4.20 h per day was highly significant (P < 0.0
1). This loss of work time is perpetual, as chronic disease manifestations
are mostly irreversible. An estimated 8% of potential male labour input is
lost due to the disease. Regression analyses revealed that lymphatic filari
asis has a significant effect on work time allotted to economic activity (P
< 0.05) bur not on absenteeism from work (P > 0.05). Female patients spent
0.31 +/- 1.42 h less on domestic activity compared to their matched contro
ls (P < 0.05). The results clearly show that the chronic form of lymphatic
filariasis inflicts a considerable economic burden on affected individuals.