Epidemiologie und Kosten der generalisierten Tendomyopathie (GTM)

Summary

The economic burden of the treatment of rheumatic disease has been calculated at around 0.5% of the gross national product (GNP) for Western European countries. To this, we have to add another 1–1.5% for indirect costs, e.g., loss of working time and disability payments. It can be estimated that between 15 and 30% of this burden can be attributed to fibromyalgia (generalized tendomyopathy: GTM). The major economic problem with fibromyalgia, however, is not the treatment and rehabilitation as such, but the many usually unjustified and unsuccessful medical-diagnostic and therapeutic interventions before the diagnosis of fibromyalgia is established. This is clearly reflected in increased medical consultation and hospitalization charges.

We compared 25 female patients diagnosed as having fibromyalgia (GTM) with 25 age-matched patients with lumbago. The GTM patients had three times as many previous hospitalizations and twice as many previous operations on the musculoskeletal system. It is interesting to note that a considerable proportion of these hospitalizations and operations took place before the appearance of the first symptoms of GTM.