Healthcare costs associated with cardiovascular events in patients with hyperlipidemia or prior cardiovascular events : estimates from Swedish population-based register data

• To estimate healthcare costs of new cardiovascular (CV) events (myocardial infarction, unstable angina, revascularization, ischemic stroke, transient ischemic attack, heart failure) in patients with hyperlipidemia or prior CV events. A retrospective population-based cohort study was conducted using Swedish national registers and electronic medical records. Patients with hyperlipidemia or prior CV events were stratified into three cohorts based on CV risk level: history of major cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD) risk-equivalent, and low/unknown risk. Propensity score matching was applied to compare patients with new events to patients without new events for estimation of incremental costs of any event and by event type. A CV event resulted in increased costs over 3 years of follow-up, with the majority of costs occurring in the 1st year following the event. The mean incremental cost of patients with a history of major CVD (n = 6881) was a,not sign8588 during the 1st year following the event. This was similar to that of CHD risk-equivalent patients (n = 3226; a,not sign6663) and patients at low/unknown risk (n = 2497; a,not sign8346). Ischemic stroke resulted in the highest 1st-year cost for patients with a history of major CVD and CHD risk-equivalent patients (a,not sign10,194 and a,not sign9823, respectively); transient ischemic attack in the lowest (a,not sign3917 and a,not sign4140). Incremental costs remained elevated in all cohorts during all three follow-up years, with costs being highest in the major CVD history cohort. Healthcare costs of CV events are substantial and vary considerably by event type. Incremental costs remain elevated for several years after an event.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Dermatologi och venereologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Dermatology and Venereal Diseases (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Cardiovascular

Costs

Hyperlipidemia

CVD

Resource use

Burden of illness

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)