Double the direct medical expenses

The total financial cost of a heart attack or a stroke is twice as much as the medical costs when the lost work time for patients and carers is included.

That's what the research published today, World Health Day, says in the report. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, review by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) .1 The study finds that heart attack and stroke victims who return to work are 25% less productive the first year of their return.

In the year following the event, cardiac patients lost 59 days of work and informal caregivers, 11 working days, for an average cost of € 13,953 and ranging from € 6,641 to € 23,160. depending on the country. After a stroke, patients lost 56 days of work and 12 caregivers, for an average of 13,773 euros, ranging from 10,469 euros to 20,215 euros.

Professor Kornelia Kotseva, of Imperial College London, UK, said, "The patients in our study went back to work, which means their events were relatively mild. Our study does not include people with more serious events who have stopped working altogether and are likely to need more help from family and friends. "

The study included 394 patients from seven European countries – 196 with acute coronary syndrome (86% heart attack, 14% unstable chest pain) and 198 with a stroke – who returned to work from 3 to 12 months after the event. Patients completed a questionnaire2,3 during a visit to a cardiologist, a neurologist or a stroke doctor. The lost hours were evaluated based on the country's labor costs in 2018. The average age of the patients was 53 years old.

According to estimates published for Europe, the direct medical costs of acute coronary syndrome range from € 1,547 to € 18,642, and from € 5,575 to € 31,274 for stroke4. Productivity losses are often ignored by clinicians, payers or policymakers, "said Professor Kotseva." Overall, the current burden on society is more than twice the amount. stated previously. "

The reasons for lost productivity were the same in all countries: 61% corresponded to initial hospitalization and sick leave after discharge; 23-29% were work absences after the first sick leave (for medical appointments and shorter sick days); 9 to 16% were unable to work at full capacity because of their discomfort.

An even larger number of working days were lost in the first year after the event for patients with past events or established cardiovascular disease. Adding the number of days lost by the patients and the caregivers, it was 80 for the acute coronary syndrome and 73 for the attack, costing respectively 16,061 and 14,942 euros.

In the study, 27% of heart patients and 20% of stroke patients were obese, while 40% of cardiac patients and 27% of stroke patients were current smokers.

"The productivity losses badociated with cardiovascular events are considerable and go beyond the patient," said Professor Kotseva. "The prevention of acute coronary syndrome and stroke is the key to improving health and longevity and to avoiding the myriad costs of such an event: eating well and controlling blood pressure and cholesterol. not be stronger. "