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- Doria, Andrea, et al.
(författare)
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Annual direct medical cost of active systemic lupus erythematosus in five European countries
- 2014
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Ingår i: Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases. - : BMJ. - 1468-2060 .- 0003-4967. ; 73:1, s. 154-160
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Objectives To evaluate the annual direct medical cost of managing adult systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients with active autoantibody positive disease in Europe. Methods A 2-year, retrospective, multicentre, observational study was conducted in five countries (France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK). Data included patients' characteristics, disease activity and severity, flare assessments and health resource use (eg, laboratory tests, medications, specialist visits and hospitalisations). Costs were assessed from the public payers' perspective. Cost predictors were estimated by multivariate regression models. Results Thirty-one centres enrolled 427 consecutive eligible patients stratified equally by disease severity. At baseline, mean (SD) age was 44.5 (13.8) years, 90.5% were women and mean (SD) SLE duration was 10.7 (8.0) years. The SELENA-SLEDAI (11.2 vs 5.3) and SLICC/ACR index (1.0 vs 0.7) scores were higher in severe patients. Over the study period, patients experienced on average 1.02 (0.71) flares/year. The mean annual direct medical cost was higher in severe compared to non-severe patients (Euro4748 vs Euro2650, p<0.001). Medication costs were Euro2518 in severe versus Euro1251 in non-severe patients (p<0.001). Medications represented 53% and 47% of the total cost for severe and non-severe patients, respectively, primarily due to immunosuppressants and biologics. Flares, especially severe flares, were identified as the major cost predictor, with each flare increasing the annual total cost by about Euro1002 (p<0.001). Conclusions The annual direct medical cost of SLE patients in Europe is related to disease severity and flares. Medical treatments were the main cost drivers. Severe flares and major organ involvement were identified as important cost predictors.
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| 2. |
- Vanholder, Raymond, et al.
(författare)
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Conservative treatment of the uremic syndrome.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Seminars in dialysis. - 0894-0959 .- 1525-139X. ; 22:4, s. 449-453
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In addition to extracorporeal renal replacement strategies, which in chronic kidney disease (CKD) are largely reserved for the treatment of end-stage kidney failure, conservative measures can be taken to reduce concentration, effects, or both concentration and effects of uremic retention solutes. In this overview, we will focus on those therapies, which are aimed at preventing or delaying cardio-vascular disease, retarding or halting the progression of CKD, or both. We will discuss, consecutively, inhibitors of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone axis, beta-blockers, calcium-channel antagonists, anti-inflammatory drugs, intestinal sorbents, calcimimetics, and glitazones. Some of these approaches could lead to a therapeutic breakthrough in the future. In addition, comprehensive tables will be provided for more traditional therapeutic approaches, such as lifestyle changes and other pharmaceutical treatments.
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| 3. |
- Vanholder, Raymond, et al.
(författare)
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The role of EUTox in uremic toxin research.
- 2009
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Ingår i: Seminars in dialysis. - 0894-0959 .- 1525-139X. ; 22:4, s. 323-328
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In this publication, we review the activities of the European Uremic Toxin Work Group (EUTox) in the field of uremic toxin research. Founded in 1999 under the umbrella of the European Society of Artificial Organs (ESAO), and active since 2000, this group focuses essentially on questions related to solute retention and removal during chronic kidney disease, and on the deleterious impact of those solutes on biological/biochemical systems. As of January 1, 2009, the group had met 28 times; it organized the third meeting, "Uremic Toxins in Cardiovascular Disease," which took place in October 2008 in Amiens, France. The current group is composed of 25 members belonging to 23 European research institutions. As of November 1, 2008, in total 69 papers had been published to which at least two different research groups belonging to EUTox have contributed in a collaborative effort. Of these, 40 papers were on original research and eight were specific EUTox reviews or position statements. A website (http://www.eutox.info) summarizes all relevant information concerning the work group. EUTox also developed an interactive uremic toxin database, where concentrations of known toxins are displayed, to be used by researchers in the field. In the future, EUTox intends to continue its focus on bench to bedside research with specific consideration of proteomics, metabonomics, secretomics, and genomics.
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