• Ann-Kristin Ruhe, Julia Wager, Roland Linder, Andreas Meusch, Ingo Pfenning, and Boris Zernikow.
• Deutsches Kinderschmerzzentrum, Vestische Kinder- und Jugendklinik Datteln, Lehrstuhl für Kinderschmerztherapie und Pädiatrische Palliativversorgung, Fakultät für Gesundheit, Universität Witten/Herdecke, Dr.-Friedrich-Steiner-Str. 5, 45711, Datteln, Deutschland. a.ruhe@deutsches-kinderschmerzzentrum.de.
• Schmerz. 2020 Apr 1; 34 (2): 133-139.

BackgroundChronic pain is a frequent and disabling health problem in children and adolescents and is associated with high health care utilization and costs.ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to analyze the direct and indirect costs of chronic pain in children and adolescents in monetary terms before and after multimodal pain therapy from a societal perspective.Materials And MethodsHealth care costs 12 months before and after multimodal pain therapy include direct costs from statutory health insurances and parents as well as indirect costs due to working days lost.ResultsDirect median costs before multimodal treatment were 5619 € (min-max: 377-35,509 €) per year. In the year after pain therapy, costs decreased to a median of 3262 € (min-max: 142-42,910 €) (p = 0.001). In all, 55% of patients showed a significant cost reduction, while 18% had a cost increase.ConclusionsAn effective multimodal pain therapy may reduce health care costs in children and adolescents. Further economic studies are needed to evaluate long-term effects of pain therapy for children and adolescents with chronic pain in a controlled design.

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