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Medical resource use and costs related to central precocious puberty: a retrospective cohort study
Shih-Yin Chen1, Mahesh Fuldeore, Luke Boulanger
1United BioSource Corporation, Lexington, Massachusetts 02420, USA.
Insights
Central precocious puberty (CPP) significantly increases healthcare costs for children, with substantial expenses incurred both before and after diagnosis. This study highlights the considerable economic burden associated with managing CPP.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Endocrinology
- Health Economics
- Pharmacoeconomics
Background:
- Central precocious puberty (CPP) is a condition characterized by early onset of puberty.
- The economic impact of CPP on healthcare systems and families is not fully understood.
- Understanding resource utilization and associated costs is crucial for effective management strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the economic burden of central precocious puberty (CPP).
- To evaluate direct healthcare resource utilization and associated costs in children with CPP.
- To compare healthcare costs in CPP patients versus matched controls.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of administrative claims data from the Medstat MarketScan Commercial Claims database.
- Identification of two cohorts: children (≤12 years) with CPP (ICD-9 code 259.1x) and matched controls.
- Examination of healthcare resource utilization and costs in the 12 months pre- and post-CPP diagnosis (index date).
Main Results:
- Patients with CPP incurred significantly higher annual healthcare costs than controls, both pre-index ($10,968 vs. $783) and post-index ($21,071 vs. $849).
- Outpatient and pharmacy costs were the primary drivers of increased healthcare expenditures in the CPP cohort.
- Annual healthcare costs for CPP patients rose by $10,103 post-diagnosis, with average CPP-related costs of $10,605.
Conclusions:
- Healthcare resource use and costs are substantial for patients diagnosed with central precocious puberty.
- The economic burden of CPP is evident both prior to and following the initial diagnosis.
- Findings underscore the significant financial implications of managing CPP in pediatric populations.
Objective:
To evaluate the economic burden of central precocious puberty (CPP) by examining direct health care resource utilization and costs.
Methods:
Administrative claims from the Medstat MarketScan Commercial Claims database were analyzed, and 2 cohorts of children ≤ 12 years of age were identified. The CPP cohort included patients newly diagnosed with precocious sexual development and puberty (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification code 259.1x) between January 1, 2004, and June 30, 2006 (date of the initial diagnosis of CPP was designated as the "index date") who used gonadotropin-releasing hormone agonists during the 12 months after diagnosis. Each patient with CPP was matched with 4 control patients without CPP on the basis of age, sex, geographic region, and type of health insurance plan. Resource utilization and costs during the 12 months before and the 12 months after the index date were examined.
Results:
A total of 172 patients with CPP and 688 control patients were identified after matching. Approximately 62% of patients were 7 to 9 years of age, and 87% were female. The patients with CPP had higher annual health care costs than did the control patients during the 12-month pre-index ($10,968 versus $783; P<.001) and the 12-month post-index ($21,071 versus $849; P<.001) periods, primarily attributable to outpatient and pharmacy costs. For the patients with CPP, annual health care costs increased by $10,103 after diagnosis. On average, annual CPP-related costs were $10,605. Monthly total health care costs for the patients with CPP increased sharply during the first month after diagnosis and remained high throughout the post-index period.
Conclusion:
In this study, health care resource use and costs among patients with CPP were substantial before and after the initial diagnosis of CPP.
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