Long-term cardiovascular outcome, use of resources, and healthcare costs in patients with peripheral artery disease results from a nationwide Swedish study

• Aims: Data on long-term healthcare costs of patients with peripheral artery disease (PAD) is limited, and the aim of this study was to investigate healthcare costs for PAD patients at a nationwide level. Methods and results: A cohort study including all incident patients diagnosed with PAD in the Swedish National Patient Register between 2006-2014, and linked to cause of death-and prescribed drug registers. Mean per-patient annual healthcare costs (2015 Euros (sic)) (hospitalisations and out-patient visits) were divided into cardiovascular (CV), lower limb and non-CV related cost. Results were stratified by high and low CV risk. The study included 66,189 patients, with 221,953 observation-years. Mean total healthcare costs were (sic)6,577, of which 26% was CV-related ((sic)1,710), during the year prior to the PAD diagnosis. First year after PAD diagnosis, healthcare costs were (sic)12,549, of which (sic)3,824 (30%) was CV-related and (sic)3,201 (26%) lower limb related. Highrisk CV patients had a higher annual total healthcare and CV related costs compared to low risk CV patients during follow-up ((sic)7,439 and (sic)1,442 versus (sic)4,063 and (sic)838). Annual lower limb procedure costs were (sic)728 in the PAD population, with lower limb revascularisations as key cost driver ((sic)474). Conclusion: Non-CV related hospitalizations and outpatient visits were the largest cost contributors for PAD patients. There is a substantial increase in healthcare costs in the first year after being diagnosed with PAD, driven by PAD follow-up and lower limb related procedures. Among the CV-related costs, hospitalisations and outpatient visits related to PAD represented the largest costs.

Ämnesord

Medical and Health Sciences  (hsv)

Medicin och hälsovetenskap  (hsv)

Nyckelord

Nationwide register data

peripheral artery disease

healthcare resource use

healthcare costs