TY - JOUR

T1 - The economic burden of tuberculosis in Denmark 1998-2010.

T2 - Cost analysis in patients and their spouses

AU - Fløe, Andreas

AU - Hilberg, Ole

AU - Wejse, Christian

AU - Løkke, Anders

AU - Ibsen, Rikke

AU - Kjellberg, Jakob

AU - Jennum, Poul

N1 - Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

PY - 2015/3

Y1 - 2015/3

N2 - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the economic burden of tuberculosis (TB) in Denmark,METHODS: 8,433 Danish TB-patients (1998-2010) were matched with 33,707 controls by age, gender, civil status and geography. Health-related costs (health system contacts and -procedures, medications) and socio-economic parameters (foregone earnings and social transfer expenses) were calculated on data from national databases. The same information was obtained for 3,485 spouses of TB-patients, and 17,403 controls.RESULTS: Health-related costs were higher for cases throughout the period. Before diagnosis, cases posed € 1,180 more health costs per year than controls. Excess health costs in the 2 years around diagnosing and treating TB were € 10,509. Cases received an average excess public transfer income of € 3,345 before vs. € 3,121 after diagnosis. Average employment income deficiency was € 11,635 before vs. € 13,885 after diagnosis, but the increasing difference showed a linear shape throughout the period. Spouses also had lower income, more social transfer, and posed higher health-related costs than matched controls.CONCLUSION: We estimate the direct costs per TB patient to be €10,509. TB patients and their households are characterized by increasingly lower employment income, lower employment rate, and higher dependency on public transfer, but the socio/economic deterioration is rather a risk factor for TB than a direct consequence of the disease.

AB - OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the economic burden of tuberculosis (TB) in Denmark,METHODS: 8,433 Danish TB-patients (1998-2010) were matched with 33,707 controls by age, gender, civil status and geography. Health-related costs (health system contacts and -procedures, medications) and socio-economic parameters (foregone earnings and social transfer expenses) were calculated on data from national databases. The same information was obtained for 3,485 spouses of TB-patients, and 17,403 controls.RESULTS: Health-related costs were higher for cases throughout the period. Before diagnosis, cases posed € 1,180 more health costs per year than controls. Excess health costs in the 2 years around diagnosing and treating TB were € 10,509. Cases received an average excess public transfer income of € 3,345 before vs. € 3,121 after diagnosis. Average employment income deficiency was € 11,635 before vs. € 13,885 after diagnosis, but the increasing difference showed a linear shape throughout the period. Spouses also had lower income, more social transfer, and posed higher health-related costs than matched controls.CONCLUSION: We estimate the direct costs per TB patient to be €10,509. TB patients and their households are characterized by increasingly lower employment income, lower employment rate, and higher dependency on public transfer, but the socio/economic deterioration is rather a risk factor for TB than a direct consequence of the disease.

KW - Adult

KW - Aged

KW - Aged, 80 and over

KW - Case-Control Studies

KW - Cost of Illness

KW - Denmark

KW - Employment

KW - Female

KW - Humans

KW - Income

KW - Male

KW - Middle Aged

KW - Poverty

KW - Retrospective Studies

KW - Socioeconomic Factors

KW - Spouses

KW - Tuberculosis

KW - Young Adult

U2 - 10.1016/j.ijid.2014.12.021

DO - 10.1016/j.ijid.2014.12.021

M3 - Review

C2 - 25809778

VL - 32

SP - 183

EP - 190

JO - International Journal of Infectious Diseases

JF - International Journal of Infectious Diseases

SN - 1201-9712

ER -