To perform a comparison of the economic impact of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) because limited information is available. Furthermore, no direct comparisons of the costs of these 2 conditions have been performed. Such a comparison is relevant because the distinction between the 2 conditions is not always clear.

We recruited 62 men with CP/CPPS and 43 women with IC/PBS from a tertiary care outpatient urology clinic. Information about hospitalizations, laboratory tests, physician visits, telephone calls, medication use, and lost productivity was obtained from written questionnaires. Direct medical cost estimates were determined from hospital cost accounting data, the 2005 Physician Fee Schedule Book, and the 2005 Redbook for pharmaceuticals. Indirect costs were determined from patient-reported annual income and patient-reported hours lost from work during the most recent 3-month period.

Using Medicare rates, the annualized direct costs per person were $3631 for IC/PBS and $3017 for CP/CPPS. Using non-Medicare rates for outpatient visits and tests/procedures, the annual per person costs increased substantially to $7043 for IC/PBS and $6534 for CP/CPPS. Sixteen patients with CP/CPPS (26%) and 8 with IC/PBS (19%) reported lost wages as a result of their condition in the previous 3 months.

Both CP/CPPS and IC/PBS have very similar and substantial direct and indirect costs. The greater costs reflected by the non-Medicare rates may more accurately reflect the true costs, given that a large proportion of these patients were <65 years old.