Objectives: Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory disease which affects 2-10% of women of reproductive age. The prevalence of endometriosis among women aged 15-49 years worldwide was estimated at 1.7 billion in 2010. According to studies, the number of patients who visited the hospital for endometriosis is increasing, constituting a significant burden on patients, society and the healthcare system. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological disease burden of endometriosis.

Methods: Data were derived from the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), for the year 2019. Data analysed included annual patient numbers, case numbers and prevalence of care utilisation per 100,000 population according to age groups. The following health insurance treatment categories were included into our study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and medical aids. Patients with endometriosis were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: N8090.

Results: The highest patient number was found in outpatient care (6,827 women), followed by general practice care (4,770 women), and pharmaceutical reimbursement (3,237 women). The average age of the patient was 37.8 years, calculated according to the patient number of pharmaceutical reimbursement. Based on patient numbers relating to pharmaceuticals, prevalence for 100,000 women was 63,5 patients. We found the highest prevalence in the age-group 30-39 (1,475 women) and 40-49 (1,117 women)

Conclusions: The results show that the highest number of patients was in outpatient care. The prevalence of endometriosis showed significant differences by age group distribution. The most affected age group was women aged 30-39. The diagnosis of endometriosis is usually delayed for years after the first symptoms appear. Early diagnosis is important as the disease can significantly reduce a patient's quality of life.