Academy of Medical Sciences of I.R. Iran Archives of Iranian Medicine 1029-2977 26 1 2023 01 01 Economic Burden of Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Shiraz, Iran 23 28 10.34172/aim.2023.04 EN Leila Rahmati https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4529-6768 Alireza Mooghali Seyed Mohammad Hosein Kamani Fatemeh Zare Hassan Askari https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2285-2592 Ali Reza Safarpour https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9880-0043 Journal Article 10.34172/aim.2023.04 2021 11 09 2021 12 27 Background: The epidemiological burden of chronic diseases and their risk factors is increasing all over the world, especially in developing and low-income countries. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is one of the chronic diseases which has imposed a great financial burden on individuals and the society. Objectives: The current study aimed at estimating the economic burden of IBD among 90 patients with IBD who referred to Namazi hospital and Motahari clinic of Shiraz in 2019. The costs to patients were monitored for a year to detect their expenses. Methods: This study is descriptive cross-sectional and from a social perspective. The cost-of-illness method, based on the human capital theory, has been used. Both direct and indirect costs have been estimated using a prevalence approach and bottom-up method. Hospital costs were extracted from patients’ records and the accounting system of Namazi Hospital. Outpatient expenses were obtained according to the number of outpatient visits and the average cost of visit were obtained by interviewing patients. Socio-economic status, medical expenses and number of days absent from work were determined using a valid and reliable questionnaire. Assessment of the cost of hospital care was made on the basis of the average daily. Non-medical direct costs such as transportation and residence, etc. were also calculated. Results: The total annual economic costs of IBD per patient were estimated at 1229.74 USD. Finally, increased use of health care as well as lost productivity leads to increased disease costs. Conclusion: IBD imposes a substantial economic burden on patients, families and the society. Establishing a correct diagnosis early, management of IBD worsening, and appropriate treatment can reduce the costs of treatment and lost production to some extent. Therefore, policymakers should take this into consideration and according to available health resources, provide services and facilities for the prevention and treatment of the disease.