Economic Impact of Atopic Dermatitis in Korean Patients

Abstract

BackgroundAtopic dermatitis is a global public health concern owing to its increasing prevalence and socioeconomic burden. However, few studies have assessed the economic impact of atopic dermatitis in Korea.ObjectiveWe conducted a cost analysis of atopic dermatitis and evaluated its economic impacts on individual annual disease burden, quality of life, and changes in medical expenses with respect to changes in health related-quality of life.MethodsThe cost analysis of atopic dermatitis was performed by reviewing the home accounting records of 32 patients. The economic impact of the disease was evaluated by analyzing questionnaires. To handle uncertainties, we compared the results with the data released by the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Board on medical costs claimed by healthcare facilities.ResultsThe direct cost of atopic dermatitis per patient during the 3-month study period was 541,280 Korean won (KRW), and expenditures on other atopic dermatitis-related products were 120,313 KRW. The extrapolated annual direct cost (including expenditures on other atopic dermatitis-related products) per patient was 2,646,372 KRW. The estimated annual indirect cost was 1,507,068 KRW. Thus, the annual cost of illness of atopic dermatitis (i.e., direct+indirect costs) was estimated to be 4,153,440 KRW.ConclusionThe annual total social cost of atopic dermatitis on a national level is estimated to be 5.8 trillion KRW.

Awareness of Atopic Dermatitis and Attitudes toward Different Types of Medical Institutions for Its Treatment among Adult Patients and the Parents of Pediatric Patients: A Survey of 500 Participants

“…In our study, costs appeared to increase significantly with increasing disease severity. In contrast, Kim et al24 reported that expenditure on AD treatment did not significantly increase with the disease severity. This may be attributable to the larger size of the study population (500 participants) than that in the previous study (32 participants).…”

“…However, patients without any previous AD experience should acquire knowledge from other sources. Previous studies15181920 have found that many patients obtained information from the Internet and trusted the source of that information, which was sometimes false. Thus, knowledge acquisition without being helped by experts may render in-depth understanding of the AD treatment by patients without any previous AD experience difficult.…”

“…Kim et al24 surveyed patients in 3 university hospitals for the expenditure on AD treatment. They found that the annual direct cost (including consultation fees, costs of medical tests and procedures, prescription fees, dispensing fees, medication storage fees, and the costs of drugs and other dermatologic products) per patient was 2,646,372 KRW.…”

“…They found that the annual direct cost (including consultation fees, costs of medical tests and procedures, prescription fees, dispensing fees, medication storage fees, and the costs of drugs and other dermatologic products) per patient was 2,646,372 KRW. In this study, we conducted a web-based survey for the general population; on the other hand, Kim et al24 surveyed patients who visited large university hospitals, and the results of their survey could be overestimated. Thus, this sampling bias may have caused this discrepancy.…”

Survey of disease awareness, treatment behavior and treatment satisfaction in patients with atopic dermatitis in Korea: A multicenter study

“…In Korea, oriental medicine is legal and patients are highly dependent on folk remedies . Oriental medicine is a traditional medicine developed in Korea, China and Japan.…”