Costs and Resource Utilization for Diagnosis and Treatment During the Initial Year in a European Inflammatory Bowel Disease Inception Cohort: An ECCO-EpiCom Study
Abstract
One thousand three hundred sixty-seven patients were followed, 710 with ulcerative colitis, 509 with Crohn's disease, and 148 with inflammatory bowel disease unclassified. Total expenditure for the cohort was EUR5,408,174 (investigations: EUR2,042,990 [38%], surgery: EUR1,427,648 [26%], biologicals: EUR781,089 [14%], and standard treatment: EUR1,156,520 [22%)]).
Mean crude expenditure per patient in Western Europe (Eastern Europe) with Crohn's disease: investigations EUR1803 (EUR2160) (P 1/4 0.44), surgery EUR11,489 (EUR13,973) (P 1/4 0.14), standard treatment EUR1027 (EUR824) (P 1/4 0.51), and biologicals EUR7376 (EUR8307) (P 1/4 0.31). Mean crude expenditure per patient in Western Europe (Eastern Europe) with ulcerative colitis: investigations EUR1189 (EUR1518) (P , 0.01), surgery EUR18,414 (EUR12,395) (P 1/4 0.18), standard treatment EUR896 (EUR798) (P , 0.05), and biologicals EUR5681 (EUR72) (P 1/4 0.51).
Conclusions: In this population-based unselected cohort, costs during the first year of disease were mainly incurred by investigative procedures and surgeries. However, biologicals accounted for .15% of costs.
Long-term follow-up of the cohort is needed to assess the cost-effectiveness of biological agents.
