The Prevalence and Costs to Treat Comorbidities in Persons with Constipation and Irritable Bowel Syndrome with Constipation in the 6 Months after Diagnosis

Abstract

Purpose: Both constipation (C) and irritable bowel syndrome with C (IBS+C) are known to be costly. Whether the costs of C are driven by the same factors that drive IBS costs is unknown. We aimed to assess the cost and prevalence of comorbidities for C without and with IBS (IBS+C). Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using medical, payroll, and demographic data from a database of U.S.-based employers from 2001–2005. ICD-9 Codes were used to include employees in the C cohort: 564.0 (C), 564.00 (Unspecified), 564.01 (Slow Transit), and 564.09 (Other). Employees with C and an ICD-9 for IBS (564.1x) during the study period were assigned to the IBS+C cohort. Propensity scores (PS) based on demographics, job-related variables, region, existence of medical claims, and pre-index-date Charlson Comorbidity Index score were used to match 5 C employees and 180 Controls to each IBS+C employee. The index date was the date of the first C or IBS claim, respectively. Controls used the average index date of the C and IBS+C cohorts. Claims data were adjusted to 2006 dollars. Results: Data were available for 309 persons with IBS+C, 1,545 PS-matched C subjects, and 55,620 PS-matched Controls. The Table presents the prevalence and costs for C, IBS+C, and control cohort during the 6-month period after the index date for selected Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) categories.TableConclusion: Patients with C have comorbidities similar to those with IBS+C, and both are different than controls. Costs for comorbidities are not different between C and IBS+C.