Open AccessPrevalence and direct costs of patients with neuromyelitis optica: data from Campania region in southern Italy
Author(s) -
Emanuele Monda,
Stefano Iucolano,
Maria Galdo,
Francesca Futura Bernardi,
Paolo Chiodini,
Daniela D’Angela,
Roberta Giordana,
Massimo Di Gennaro,
Ugo Trama,
Federico Spandonaro,
Giuseppe Limongelli,
Barbara Polistena
Publication year - 2021
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2399-5262
DOI - 10.2217/frd-2021-0011
Subject(s) - neuromyelitis optica , medicine , indirect costs , incidence (geometry) , disease burden , euros , burden of disease , public health , pediatrics , disease , population , environmental health , pathology , immunology , multiple sclerosis , business , philosophy , physics , accounting , humanities , optics
Aim: The study aimed to estimate the prevalence and direct costs of neuromyelitis optica (NMO) patients in Campania, Italy. Materials & methods: We retrospectively evaluated 53 NMO patients (mean age: 50.9 ± 16.5 years; 34% men) from the Campania Region administrative databases identified through disease exemption codes in 2018 and analyzed the incidence of NMO among the Campania region population and the disease-related cost. Results: The prevalence of NMO was 0.91 per 100,000 individuals. The average regional cost per NMO patient was 10,836.2 euros. The highest cost was related to drugs (60.6%), followed by hospitalizations (32.7%), diagnostics (4.8%) and laboratory tests (1.0%). Conclusion: NMO is an extremely rare disease with an annual disease-related cost of 0.005% of public health expenditure.