Digestive Diseases Cost $141.8 Billion Annually

Digestive diseases are costly to manage, with annual costs totaling $141.8 billion in 2004 (), according to an NIH report. Direct costs associated with digestive diseases jumped from $85 billion in 1998 to nearly $98 billion in 2004. Prescription drug costs alone were $12.3 billion. Indirect costs for digestive diseases more than doubled, from $20 billion in 1998 to $44 billion in 2004, of which $32.8 billion was associated with lost productivity caused by increased mortality.

Digestive cancers were the most costly digestive diseases in total annual costs, accounting for $24.1 billion (); $9.5 billion was for colorectal cancer and $4.3 billion was for pancreatic cancer. The NIH report also showed that diverticular disease cost $4.0 billion; pancreatitis, $3.7 billion; viral hepatitis (A, B, and C), $3.3 billion; peptic ulcer disease, $3.1 billion; and appendicitis, $2.6 billion.

Approximately 70 million US adults are affected by digestive diseases. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK) estimates that 50 million persons are lactose intolerant ().