Annual Direct and Indirect Health Care Costs of Chronic Idiopathic Urticaria

Abstract

To estimate annual direct and indirect health care costs in patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria (CIU) managed with conventional therapies.Design: A cost analysis consisting of a survey-guided and retrospective medical record review of direct and indirect health care costs from a societal perspective in patients with CIU.Setting: The Johns Hopkins University allergy and dermatology ambulatory clinics.Participants: Fifty adults with active CIU were recruited in sequential order. Individuals who were taking corticosteroids or other immunosuppressants in the month before enrollment were excluded from the study. Main Outcome Measures:We estimated direct health care costs, which included laboratory, medication, outpatient visit, and emergency department and hospital visit costs. We also estimated indirect costs, which included earnings lost owing to travel to outpatient visits and absences from work owing to CIU-related illness.

Burden of chronic urticaria relative to psoriasis in five European countries

“…CU primarily affects the working population as the peak age of CU onset is between 20 and 40 years 4. Patients with CU experience an underestimated emotional and psychological burden which influences sleep and daily activities and restricts work ability and social life 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. HRQoL impairment in CU increases with disease severity,6, 10 prevalence of comorbid psychological conditions11, 12, 13 and several autoimmune conditions 14, 15.…”

“…Broadly, the burden of CU translates into costs to healthcare payers and the society. Medication, outpatient costs and loss of productivity due to the absence from work are major cost drivers and increase with disease severity 8, 18. Work and activity impairment in CU patients is twice as high as reported in non‐CU patients 6, 10.…”

¿Es posible simplificar el abordaje diagnóstico de urticaria crónica? Una lista de verificación de información clínica

“…En 2014 se publicó una historia clínica de UC que proporcionó una herramienta para ayudar al diagnós-tico y evaluación del estado de la enfermedad en la práctica diaria. 50 Sin embargo, en esa propuesta no se pregunta sobre características específicas importantes en el diagnóstico clínico de los subtipos de UC como color, características que acompañan a la lesión, distribución de las erupciones, síntomas asociados y otros posibles agentes etiológicos; ni se proporciona referencia bibliográfica de apoyo para cada pregunta, como sí hicimos con la nuestra. 3,50,51 En los últimos 30 años, la atención se ha centrado en nuevas formas de entender y manejar la UC, desde la reciente adición de nuevos fármacos al arsenal terapéutico, la actualización de las guías de práctica clínica y la publicación de conceptos fisiopatológicos.…”

“…50 El médico debe considerar la posibilidad de neoplasias malignas neuroendocrinas, recomienda realizar pruebas de rutina de detección de anticuerpos antitiroideos y complemento y considerar la detección de niveles elevados de anticuerpos antiparietales.…”

Effects of the polysaccharide nucleic acid fraction of bacillus Calmette-Guérin on the production of interleukin-2 and interleukin-10 in the peripheral blood lymphocytes of patients with chronic idiopathic urticaria

“…CU has been defined as a daily or almost daily occurrence of wheals and/or angioedema, occurring over a period of ≥6 weeks (17)(18)(19). Furthermore, the direct cost of CU, in terms of healthcare visits, investigation and treatment, is high (20). Several aetiological factors have been associated with the onset of CU and it was suggested that the condition has an autoimmune basis (21,22).…”