Alternativverfahren und Allergien: Analyse ökonomischer Aspekte

Summary

Background

The aim of this study was to assess economic aspects of the use of complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) for allergies.

Methods

In a population-based nested case-control study computer-assisted telephone interviews were performed in 351 subjects with allergies. Information on costs, subjective assessment of CAM and willingness to pay was obtained.

Results

26.5% of participants used CAM for their allergies. CAM treatments were associated with overall costs of median 205 Euros, whereas significant differences between different procedures (p < 0.05) were seen. Most subjects (55.4%) would pay more for the achieved result. Here, also differences between procedures could be seen. Willingness to pay did not depend on actual costs but on subjective assessment of efficacy of the CAM procedure (p < 0.001). as ]Conclusion

Conclusion

CAM use is associated with considerable costs, and willingness to pay is generally high.