BackgroundHeart conditions impose physical, social, financial and health-related
quality of life limitations on individuals in Brazil.ObjectivesThis study assessed the economic burden of four main heart conditions in
Brazil: hypertension, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and atrial
fibrillation. In addition, the cost-effectiveness of telemedicine and
structured telephone support for the management of heart failure was
assessed.MethodsA standard cost of illness framework was used to assess the costs associated
with the four conditions in 2015. The analysis assessed the prevalence of
the four conditions and, in the case of myocardial infarction, also its
incidence. It further assessed the conditions’ associated expenditures on
healthcare treatment, productivity losses from reduced employment, costs of
providing formal and informal care, and lost
wellbeing. The analysis was informed by a
targeted literature review, data scan and modelling. All inputs and methods
were validated by consulting 15 clinicians and other stakeholders in Brazil.
The cost-effectiveness analysis was based on a meta-analysis and economic
evaluation of post-discharge programs in patients with heart failure,
assessed from the perspective of the Brazilian Unified Healthcare System
(Sistema Unico de Saude).ResultsMyocardial infarction imposes the greatest financial cost (22.4 billion
reais/6.9 billion USD), followed by heart failure (22.1 billion reais/6.8
billion USD), hypertension (8 billion reais/2.5 billion USD) and, finally,
atrial fibrillation (3.9 billion reais/1.2 billion USD). Telemedicine and
structured telephone support are cost-effective interventions for achieving
improvements in the management of heart failure.ConclusionsHeart conditions impose substantial loss of wellbeing and financial costs in
Brazil and should be a public health priority.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.