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Pediatric meningococcocal meningitis in the acute phase: how much does it cost?
Elena Bozzola1, Stefano Guolo2, Enea Bonci3
1Pediatric and Infectious Disease Unit, Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, Rome, Italy. elena.bozzola@opbg.net.
Background:
Meningococcal meningitis (MM) is known to be responsible of high cost for the Public Health Administration. Aim of the work is to calculate the costs for the hospitalization of pediatric patients affected by MM.
Methods:
We calculate the costs for the hospitalization of pediatric patients affected by MM in the acute phase (HAP) over a nine year period. We performed a MEDLINE search to verify the cost of MM HAP reported in other studies.
Results:
At Bambino Gesù Children Hospital, the median cost of HAP was of 12,604 euro (range from 9203 to 35,050 euro). Comparing our data with the previous studies, we find out similar results of approximately 16,750 euro (range 12,000-20,000 euro).
Discussion:
Despite the relative rarety of the disease, MM is associated to direct high cost of HAP.
Conclusions:
Hospital costs are an important end-point in health economic evaluation of the disease and may be useful to policy makers and health economists to understand the potential benefit of improving meningococcal vaccination programmes.
Insights
Meningococcal meningitis (MM) hospitalization incurs significant direct costs, with a median cost of 12,604 euro for pediatric patients. These findings highlight the economic burden of MM and inform vaccination program evaluations.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Health Economics
- Public Health Administration
Background:
- Meningococcal meningitis (MM) poses a significant financial burden on public health systems.
- Understanding hospitalization costs is crucial for managing the economic impact of MM.
Purpose of the Study:
- To calculate the direct hospitalization costs for pediatric patients with meningococcal meningitis in the acute phase (HAP).
- To compare these costs with previously reported figures in the literature.
Main Methods:
- A nine-year retrospective analysis of pediatric MM HAP costs at Bambino Gesù Children Hospital.
- A MEDLINE search was conducted to gather data on MM HAP costs from existing studies.
Main Results:
- The median cost of HAP for pediatric MM patients was 12,604 euro (range: 9,203–35,050 euro).
- This median cost is comparable to findings from other studies, which reported approximately 16,750 euro (range: 12,000–20,000 euro).
Conclusions:
- Meningococcal meningitis, despite its relative rarity, is associated with substantial direct hospitalization costs.
- These hospital cost data are vital for health economic evaluations and can guide policy decisions regarding meningococcal vaccination programs.
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