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HealthSWEDE: costs with sublingual immunotherapy-a Swedish questionnaire study.
Petter Olsson1, Carl Skröder2, Lars Ahlbeck3
1Division of Ear, Nose and Throat Diseases, Department of Clinical Sciences, Intervention and Technology, Klinisk Vetenskap (CLINTEC), Karolinska Institutet, Intervention och teknik, H9 Öron-, näs, och halssjukdomar, 171 77, Stockholm, Sweden. petter.olsson@ki.se.
Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) for seasonal allergic rhinitis (AR) is cost-beneficial, significantly reducing overall patient costs compared to standard care. This approach lowers indirect costs associated with absenteeism and presenteeism.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Allergology
- Immunotherapy
Background:
- Allergic rhinitis (AR) poses significant health-economic burdens.
- Comparing sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) with standard pharmacological care is crucial for cost-effectiveness analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the health-economic consequences of SLIT versus standard care for allergic rhinitis patients.
- To analyze direct and indirect costs associated with SLIT in grass pollen allergy patients in Sweden.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional survey was conducted using questionnaires.
- Two groups of AR patients were compared: those receiving SLIT and a reference group awaiting subcutaneous immunotherapy (SCIT).
Main Results:
- The SLIT group incurred lower mean annual total costs (€2084) compared to the reference group (€3907).
- While direct costs were higher for SLIT (€1191 vs €751), indirect costs (absenteeism and presenteeism) were substantially lower (€912 vs €3346).
- Presenteeism was identified as the primary driver of indirect costs.
Conclusions:
- Sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT) appears to be a cost-beneficial treatment for seasonal allergic rhinitis.
- Findings may inform future clinical and healthcare policy recommendations regarding AR management.
