Cost-of-illness study in acromegalic patients in Italy

Introduction: acromegalic therapeutic goals are directed at removing the tumor, preventing tumor re-growth and reducing long-term morbidity and mortality. In this scenario, the acromegalic patient needs a variety of health resources (diagnostic tests, surgery, radiotherapy, specialist visits and drugs) for his/her cure, in order to decrease/stop the progression of the disease and to cure the co-morbid diseases. Lack of epidemiological data has suggested performing an Italian retrospective study aiming to assess the health resource consumption that is caused by acromegalic cure and the relative co-morbidities, in order to estimate the amount of the direct costs of acromegalic patients. Method: a retrospective study was performed on a total of 134 patients (142 patients selected, 76 in Genoa and 66 in Turin) for a period of about 7 yr preceding the enrolment date. Only direct costs were evaluated by performing an analysis on the perspective of Italian Healthcare Service (SSN). Results: the mean total direct costs for acromegaly cure ranged from 7.968,41 to 12.533,02 €/yr (p<0,01; Mann Whitney Test), respectively, for Responders and Non-Responders. The cost driver was drug (SS analogs) for acromegalic cure. The co-morbidity conditions associated to acromegalic Non-Responder patients are clearly higher than those with well-controlled disease. Conclusion: the study supports the hypothesis that controlled patients drove a saving for SSN in comparison to poor control patients that use more health resources.