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The burden of illness of non‐cardiac chest pain
Author(s) -
Eslick G. D.,
Coulshed D. S.,
Talley N. J.
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
alimentary pharmacology and therapeutics
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.308
H-Index - 177
eISSN - 1365-2036
pISSN - 0269-2813
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2036.2002.01296.x
Subject(s) - medicine , chest pain , disease , quality of life (healthcare) , intensive care medicine , health care , population , medline , physical therapy , emergency medicine , environmental health , nursing , political science , law , economics , economic growth
SUMMARY Background : Non‐cardiac chest pain is a common condition affecting approximately one‐quarter of the population during their lifetime, but the long‐term economic costs of non‐cardiac chest pain are poorly defined. Methods : A MEDLINE and Current Contents search was performed from 1991 to 2002 using specific keywords. All major articles on the subject of non‐cardiac chest pain in this period were reviewed and their reference lists searched. Results : Limited studies suggest that the majority of those with non‐cardiac chest pain do not consult a doctor regarding their symptoms; the drivers of health care seeking are not known. The impact on the quality of life in consulters can be severe, with as many as 36% reporting much lower quality of life levels. The diagnosis of non‐cardiac chest pain can be difficult due to the heterogeneous nature of the condition, with significant overlap of gastro‐oesophageal reflux disease, chest wall syndromes and psychiatric disease, which may drive up the costs of management. The prognosis appears to be good, but there are conflicting results in long‐term studies. Conclusions : The costs of non‐cardiac chest pain to the health care system are likely to be large and represent a significant proportion of each Western country's health care budget. Further studies are required to determine methods of reducing health care costs.