In Switzerland, between 300,000 and 700,000 patients per year visit a doctor due to acute diarrhea. Until now, the financial burden on the Swiss health care system had been completely unclear. The study, recently published in the scientific journal Epidemiology & Infection, estimates the costs entailed until a patient is cured.
In 2012, gastrointestinal diseases gave rise to health care costs of between EUR 29 to 45 million. This includes costs for visiting a doctor, hospitalisation, laboratory-based diagnostic tests and medicines. The study estimates individual costs for illnesses caused by acute diarrhea ranging from about EUR 30 to 4,800 depending on the severity of the illness.
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