Tag: Mirin

A preliminary estimate of the economic impact of long COVID in the United States

Abstract:

Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS CoV-2 infection (PASC), more commonly referred to as Long COVID, is one of the most daunting health-care grand challenges facing the United States today. Affecting millions of Americans, Long COVID extracts a huge cost both socially and economically. In this article, we provide a preliminary estimate of the annual income loss and medical costs due to Long COVID in the United States. With many Long COVID patients either meeting the diagnostic criteria for myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) or exhibiting symptoms consistent with ME/CFS, we utilize ME/CFS to help guide our estimates. Based on the nearly 86 million documented US COVID survivors as of June 25, 2022, and considering a range of 5% to 20% of those survivors currently afflicted with Long COVID, we estimate annual medical costs to range from $43 billion to $172 billion, and lost income to range from $101 billion to $430 billion. This corresponds to an annual economic impact (exclusive of costs of disability services, social services, and lost income on the part of caretakers) ranging from roughly $140 billion to $600 billion.

Source: Arthur A. Mirin (2022) A preliminary estimate of the economic impact of long COVID in the United States, Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior, DOI: 10.1080/21641846.2022.2124064

Updated ME/CFS prevalence estimates reflecting post-COVID increases and associated economic costs and funding implications

Abstract:

In this article, we update our earlier analyses of myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) economic impact and its National Institutes of Health (NIH) funding versus disease burden, taking into account the anticipated new cases of ME/CFS resulting from COVID-19.

Prior to the COVID pandemic, we estimated a United States ME/CFS prevalence of 1.5 million and an annual economic impact of $36–51 billion. Now, due to COVID and its resulting post-acute sequalae, we estimate total ME/CFS prevalence could rise to between five and nine million. This would incur an annual U.S. economic impact of $149 to $362 billion in medical expenses and lost income, exclusive of other costs, such as disability benefits, social services, and lost wages of caretakers. NIH funding for ME/CFS research would need to expand from the current amount of $15 million per year to approximately $472–$600 million annually, up to a 40-fold increase, to be commensurate with that of similarly burdensome diseases.

Source: Arthur A. Mirin, Mary E. Dimmock & Leonard A. Jason (2022) Updated ME/CFS prevalence estimates reflecting post-COVID increases and associated economic costs and funding implications, Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior, DOI: 10.1080/21641846.2022.2062169 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21641846.2022.2062169?journalCode=rftg20  (Full text)

Updating the National Academy of Medicine ME/CFS prevalence and economic impact figures to account for population growth and inflation

Abstract:

We update the US prevalence and economic impact estimates of the 2015 National Academy of Medicine report on myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS), taking into account growth in population, economic inflation, and inclusion of children. We find a rough doubling of the ME/CFS prevalence and economic impact figures in the US, with low-end prevalence coming out to 1.5 million and economic impact having a range of 36–51 billion dollars per year.

Source: L.A. Jason & A.A. Mirin (2021) Updating the National Academy of Medicine ME/CFS prevalence and economic impact figures to account for population growth and inflation. Fatigue: Biomedicine, Health & Behavior, DOI: 10.1080/21641846.2021.1878716 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/21641846.2021.1878716?journalCode=rftg20