• Diana D Jeffery, Lakmini Bulathsinhala, Michelle Kroc, and Joseph Dorris.
• Department of Defense, Defense Health Agency, 7700 Arlington Boulevard, Suite 5101, Falls Church, VA 22042-5101.
• Mil Med. 2014 Sep 1; 179 (9): 1021-9.

ObjectiveWe compared prevalence, health care utilization, and costs over time for nonelderly adults diagnosed with fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS), irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) in relation to timing of federal approvals for FMS drugs.Data SourceWe used military health care claims from October 2006 to September 2010.Study Design/AnalysisRetrospective, multiple-year comparisons were conducted using trend analyses, and time series regression-based generalized linear models.ResultsOver 5 years, FMS prevalence rates increased from 0.307% to 0.522%, whereas IBS and CFS prevalence rates remained stable. The largest increase in FMS prevalence occurred between 2007 and 2008. Health care utilization was higher for FMS cases compared to IBS and CFS cases. Over 5 years, the total cost for FMS-related care increased $163.2 million, whereas IBS costs increased $14.9 million and CFS cost increased $3.7 million. Between 2006 and 2010, total pharmacy cost for FMS cases increased from $55 million ($3,641/person) to $96.3 million ($3,557/person).ConclusionAlthough cause and effect cannot be established, the advent of federally approved drugs for FMS in concert with pharmaceutical industry marketing of these drugs coincide with the observed changes in prevalence, health care utilization, and costs of FMS relative to IBS and CFS.Reprint & Copyright © 2014 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

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