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Hypertension and common complications --analysis of the ambulatory treatment cost

Anna D Ivanova1, Guenka I Petrova

  • 1Department of Social Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Medical University, Sofia, Bulgaria. an5dar@yahoo.co.uk

Central European Journal of Public Health
|April 10, 2010
PubMed

Insights

This study analyzed hypertension treatment costs in Bulgaria, finding that complications significantly increase patient expenses. Medicine prices, not therapy complexity, most impact overall ambulatory hypertension care costs.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular Medicine
  • Health Economics
  • Pharmacoeconomics

Background:

  • Hypertension and its complications (heart failure, cerebrovascular disease sequelae, angina pectoris) represent a significant public health burden.
  • Understanding prescribing patterns and associated costs in ambulatory care is crucial for effective healthcare management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To retrospectively analyze prescribing practices and costs for ambulatory hypertension treatment and its common complications.
  • To model and calculate the expected monthly and annual costs of outpatient therapy for hypertension and its complications.
  • To assess the sensitivity of therapy costs to medicine prices and treatment complexity.

Main Methods:

  • Retrospective analysis of 3,240 reimbursable ambulatory prescriptions for hypertension and its complications.
  • Categorization of prescriptions by therapy complexity and medicine frequency.
  • Utilized a decision tree model for cost calculation and performed sensitivity analysis (+/- 30%).

Main Results:

  • Hypertension prescriptions accounted for 65% of the total, with 35% for complications.
  • Most hypertension prescriptions (67%) involved one or two medications; only 8% used three.
  • ACE inhibitors were most common (41%) for hypertension; complication therapies were more diverse. Expected monthly costs were €6.90 for hypertension alone and €10.71 with complications.
  • Overall annual ambulatory cost estimated at €148 million for 1.5 million patients (44% reimbursement). Therapy cost sensitivity was higher to medicine prices than complexity.

Conclusions:

  • This study provides initial data for evidence-based cost containment strategies in Bulgarian ambulatory care.
  • It highlights the significant contribution of complication therapy to the overall cost of hypertension management.
  • Findings can inform policy decisions regarding hypertension treatment and resource allocation.
Abstract

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