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Costs arising from otitis media
M Niemelä1, M Uhari, M Möttönen
1Department of Paediatrics, University of Oulu, Finland. marjon@cc.oulu.fi
Insights
Otitis media (OM) in children incurs significant costs, averaging $1040 annually for those under 2. Preventive measures for this common childhood illness are likely cost-effective.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Public Health
- Health Economics
Background:
- Otitis media (OM) is a prevalent childhood illness with substantial direct and indirect societal costs.
- Understanding the economic burden of OM is crucial for developing effective healthcare strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate the comprehensive costs associated with otitis media in young children attending daycare.
- To evaluate the cost-effectiveness of potential preventive interventions for OM.
Main Methods:
- Prospective monitoring of 736 daycare children over 15 months in Oulu, Finland.
- Detailed tracking of OM attacks, physician visits, antimicrobial use, parental work absence, and surgical interventions.
- Cost analysis based on per-episode, per-year, and cumulative costs from infancy to age 7.
Main Results:
- Each acute OM attack cost an average of $228.
- Annual costs varied significantly by age: $1040 for children under 2, $283 for 2-3 year olds, and $141 for older children.
- Total annual costs for OM in Finland were estimated at $138 million, highlighting a significant economic impact.
Conclusions:
- Otitis media represents a considerable financial burden on families and society.
- Even costly preventive strategies for OM may prove cost-effective given the high overall expenses.
- Early intervention and prevention programs for childhood otitis media are warranted.
Abstract:
Otitis media (OM) is one of the most common diseases of childhood, and causes both direct and indirect costs to families and to society. This study calculated the costs arising from OM among 736 day care children whose infections were prospectively monitored for up to 15 mo in 10 day care centres in the city of Oulu. The children in the survey had 1.5 attacks of acute OM per person year, made 2.1 visits to a physician (cost $US55 visit(-1)) and received 1.5 courses of antimicrobials (cost $24 course(-1)). Their parents were absent from work for 1.9 d per person year (cost $85 d(-1)). Either adenoidectomy ($890 operation(-1)) or tympanostomy ($740) was performed on 6% of the children and the overall costs of surgery were $80 per person year at risk. In total, each single attack of acute OM cost $228. The average annual costs per child younger than 2 y were $1040, those for children aged 2-3 y $283 and those for children older than 3 y $141. The cumulative costs from age 6 mo to 7 y were $2549 child(-1). When the attributable risk of OM at a day care centre is taken into account, in Finland, a country with about 5 million inhabitants, OM gives rise to total annual costs of $US138 million. OM leads to considerable expenses and even expensive preventive measures would be cost-effective.