Surgery and the use of drugs provided reduced pain scores in patients with endometriosis but nevertheless exhibit disadvantages , such as risk of recurrence and side effects , respectively .
However , improved quality of life in these patients has been obtained with the use of conventional treatment
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by sustained painful symptoms that are responsible for a decline in the quality of life of sufferers .
Conventional treatment includes surgical and pharmacological therapy aim ing at reducing painful symptoms .
This study aim ed to evaluate pain levels in women with endometriosis , focusing on the influence of conventional treatment in controlling this variable .
Treatment of endometriosis is , therefore , a challenge for gynecologists and patients , as they must select the best therapeutic approach for this disease .
The burden of endometriosis: costs and quality of life of women with endometriosis and treated in referral centres.
BACKGROUND This study aim ed to calculate costs and health-related quality of life of women with endometriosis-associated symptoms treated in referral centres . METHODS A prospect i ve , multi-centre , question naire-based survey measured costs and quality of life in ambulatory care and in 12 tertiary care centres in 10 countries . The study enrolled women with a diagnosis of endometriosis and with at least one centre-specific contact related to endometriosis-associated symptoms in 2008 . The main outcome measures were health care costs , costs of productivity loss , total costs and quality -adjusted life years . Predictors of costs were identified using regression analysis . RESULTS Data analysis of 909 women demonstrated that the average annual total cost per woman was € 9579 ( 95 % confidence interval € 8559-€10 599 ) . Costs of productivity loss of € 6298 per woman were double the health care costs of € 3113 per woman . Health care costs were mainly due to surgery ( 29 % ) , monitoring tests ( 19 % ) and hospitalization ( 18 % ) and physician visits ( 16 % ) . Endometriosis-associated symptoms generated 0.809 quality -adjusted life years per woman . Decreased quality of life was the most important predictor of direct health care and total costs . Costs were greater with increasing severity of endometriosis , presence of pelvic pain , presence of infertility and a higher number of years since diagnosis . CONCLUSIONS Our study invited women to report re source use based on endometriosis-associated symptoms only , rather than drawing on a control population of women without endometriosis . Our study showed that the economic burden associated with endometriosis treated in referral centres is high and is similar to other chronic diseases ( diabetes , Crohn 's disease , rheumatoid arthritis ) . It arises predominantly from productivity loss , and is predicted by decreased quality of life
Surgery and the use of drugs provided reduced pain scores in patients with endometriosis but nevertheless exhibit disadvantages , such as risk of recurrence and side effects , respectively .
However , improved quality of life in these patients has been obtained with the use of conventional treatment
Endometriosis is a chronic gynecological disease characterized by sustained painful symptoms that are responsible for a decline in the quality of life of sufferers .
Conventional treatment includes surgical and pharmacological therapy aim ing at reducing painful symptoms .
This study aim ed to evaluate pain levels in women with endometriosis , focusing on the influence of conventional treatment in controlling this variable .
Treatment of endometriosis is , therefore , a challenge for gynecologists and patients , as they must select the best therapeutic approach for this disease .