A Literature Review of Productivity Loss Associated with Hypertension in the United States

Abstract

A literature review of peer-reviewed articles published 2000-2019 was conducted to determine the types and extent of hypertension-associated productivity loss among adults in the United States. All monetary outcomes were standardized to 2019 $ by using the Employment Cost Index. Twenty-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Nearly half of the articles (12 articles) presented monetary outcomes of productivity loss. Absenteeism (14 articles) and presenteeism (8 articles) were most frequently assessed. Annual absenteeism was estimated to cost more than $11 billion, nationally controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. The annual additional costs per person were estimated at $63 for short-term disability, $72-$330 for absenteeism, and $53-$156 for presenteeism, controlling for participant characteristics; and may be as high as $2362 for absenteeism and presenteeism when considered in combination. The annual additional time loss per person was estimated as 1.3 days for absenteeism, controlling for common hypertension comorbidities, including stroke and diabetes; and 15.6 days for work and home productivity loss combined, controlling for sociodemographic characteristics. The loss from absenteeism alone might be more than 20% of the total medical expenditure of hypertension. Although the differences in estimation methods and study populations make it challenging to synthesize the costs across the studies, this review provides detailed information on the various types of productivity loss. In addition, the ways in which methods could be standardized for future research are discussed. Accounting for the costs from productivity loss can help public health officials, health insurers, employers, and researchers better understand the economic burden of hypertension.

Keywords: economic burden; high blood pressure; indirect cost.

FIG. 1.

Selection of articles on productivity loss associated with hypertension in the United States, January 2000 to October 2019. *Other types of outcomes include labor outcomes, percentage of loss, and ratings of impairment level.