You have accessJournal of UrologyGeneral & Epidemiological Trends & Socioeconomics: Evidence-based Medicine & Outcomes I1 Apr 20102 ECONOMIC BURDEN OF NOCTURIA IN THE US ADULT POPULATION Tove Holm-Larsen, Jeffrey P. Weiss, and Lars K. Langkilde Tove Holm-LarsenTove Holm-Larsen Copenhagen, Denmark More articles by this author , Jeffrey P. WeissJeffrey P. Weiss Brooklyn, NY More articles by this author , and Lars K. LangkildeLars K. Langkilde Vejle, Denmark More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.juro.2010.02.045AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookTwitterLinked InEmail INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Nocturia is a common condition which can have a profound negative effect on quality of life, mainly due to its impact on sleep. Poor sleep leads to a series of problems for health, functioning and productivity, all well documented in the sleep research literature. However, the economic burden on society of the effects of nocturia is not well understood. This study provides an estimate of the economic burden relating to work productivity and falls in the US population with nocturia. METHODS Using the Boston Area Community Health (BACH) Study (Fitzgerald et al, 2007), the age and gender-adjusted prevalence of nocturia (≥2 voids/night) in the US was estimated. US data on working hours and salary were obtained from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The impact of nocturia on work productivity was calculated using published data from a population survey of both absenteeism and productivity in professionally active adults with nocturia vs controls. Subjects reporting nocturia had greater impairment in productivity as measured by the Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire (13.8% vs 4.61%; 0%=maximum productivity, 100%=total loss of work productivity; Kobelt et al, 2003). Although this net impairment of 9.19% was based on subjects with ≥1 void/night, we used it for people with ≥2 voids/night to secure a conservative estimate. To study the impact of nocturia on falls we estimated the proportional population risk from a fall study in elderly nocturia patients (Stewart, 1992). This was applied to the estimated direct medical cost of falls (Carroll et al, 2005) to establish the share of the total cost attributable to nocturia. RESULTS Based on the BACH study, 28 million people ≥30 years in the US regularly suffer from ≥2 voids/night. Adjusted for age and gender, a conservative estimate suggests that productivity loss is equivalent to 127 hours per individual per year. With an average US wage of $17.38/h (conservatively based on small-size, private industry salaries), the economic value of the productivity lost in 2008 was $61 billion. In the elderly (≥65 years), the proportional population attributable risk of falling due to nocturia (≥2 voids/night) is 16.2%. The estimated medical cost of associated falls in 2008 was $1.5 billion. CONCLUSIONS These findings demonstrate that nocturia in professionally active people represents a very significant economical burden for society due to a decrease in productivity. The societal cost of nocturia in the elderly (≥65 years) is also high, but comparably lower because it only relates to an increased risk of falls in this study. © 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 183Issue 4SApril 2010Page: e1 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2010 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Tove Holm-Larsen Copenhagen, Denmark More articles by this author Jeffrey P. Weiss Brooklyn, NY More articles by this author Lars K. Langkilde Vejle, Denmark More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Advertisement PDF downloadLoading ...