The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and access to treatment: health burden and costs

Abstract

As part of the study "The burden of rheumatoid arthritis and patient access to treatment", this paper reviews evidence on the health burden of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) in terms of morbidity (DALYs), mortality (% of deaths attributable to RA) and quality of life (utility and loss of QALYs), as well as the economic impact on society. Based on available literature on the prevalence and the cost of RA, combined with economic indicators, the annual cost per patient as well as the total national cost is estimated for Europe and North America (Canada and the United States), as well as Australia, Turkey, the Russian Federation and South Africa. Total costs to society were estimated at <euro>45.3 billion in Europe and at <euro>41.6 billion in the United States. Utility scores were found to be amongst the lowest compared to other diseases.

Suboptimal management of rheumatoid arthritis in the Middle East and Africa: could the EULAR recommendations be the start of a solution?

“…Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is associated with joint destruction, functional disability and an increased risk of comorbidities and extra-articular manifestations, as well as increased mortality and reduced workforce participation [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]. In recent years, knowledge about the underlying pathogenesis and process of disease in RA has increased; this, coupled with significant advances in disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs (DMARDs) has brought about unprecedented opportunities for the management of the condition [9,10].…”

Analisi di Farmacoutilizzazione dei Trattamenti Biologici Nelle Malattie Infiammatorie Immunomediate Croniche: I Risultati di Uno Studio Osservazionale Retrospettivo Condotto in un Centro Ospedaliero del Centro Italia

“…La variazione del dosaggio nell'utilizzo dei farmaci biologici è stata valutata confrontando le dosi assunte dai pazienti (RDD, Received Daily Dose) per ogni farmaco biologico rispetto alla relativa DDD. La RDD, a sua volta, è stata calcolata terminano una significativa riduzione della qualità di vita, non solo dei soggetti che ne sono affetti, ma anche dei caregiver (12)(13)(14)(15).…”

History of health technology assessment in Hungary

“…Disease burden and costs of RA in different countries were assessed by Lundkvist et al (year 2007), calculating with 0.66 percent prevalence in northern and central European countries, that is, 67,000 RA patients in Hungary (21).…”