A short-term cost-effectiveness analysis of hypertension treatment in Greece

Hypertension represents one of the major contributors to the disease burden and to healthcare expenditure internationally. The objective of this paper was to conduct a short term cost-effectiveness analysis of hypertension treatment vs. a hypothetical "no-treatment" strategy in Greece.

Health-resource use data and clinical outcomes for a cohort of 1453 hypertensive patients in Greece who were prospectively followed for a 1-year period served as the primary data for the analysis. Based on these data, the incremental cost per mmHg lowering in the baseline blood pressure (BP) and the incremental cost per patient that achieved BP control after 1 year of treatment were estimated. Costs were calculated from a social security perspective and are reported in year 2011 values.

The average cost per mmHg lowering of baseline BP for the whole study sample was 13.7 ± 14.2, ranging from 20.3 ± 21.4 for Grade 1 hypertension patients to 9.9 ± 4.4 for Grade 3. The average cost per patient that achieved control after 1 year of treatment was 603.1 ± 215, with a range from 496.1 ± 186.6 to 868 ± 258.2 for Grades 1 and 3 baseline BP, respectively. The sensitivity analysis corroborated the results.

The present study outcomes compare favorably to corresponding results from the international literature and indicate the clinico-economic value of hypertension treatment in Greece, especially to those that are severely ill. In light of the current financial situation, resource allocation based on evidence from economic evaluation can constitute a core input in the decision-making process for health policy.