Financial toxicity as an unforeseen side effect of inflammatory bowel disease

Abstract

“Financial toxicity” refers to the adverse impacts of cost on a patient's disease experience and outcomes. Although the focus of financial toxicity thus far has been in the context of cancer care, it is reasonable to suspect that other chronic illnesses are afflicted by this same concept. In this article, we discuss a case of financial toxicity in a patient with ulcerative colitis, which ultimately lead to not only insufficient disease management, but also paradoxically increased cost. Our case serves to illustrate the phenomenon of financial toxicity and its consequences in patients with inflammatory bowel disease.