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Published on: August 8, 2022
Prevalence, Patient Characteristics, and Treatment of Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy: A Nationwide Payer
Yuika Ikeda1, Tsunehisa Yamamoto2, Makio Torigoe2
1Bristol Myers Squibb, Tokyo, Japan. yuika.ikeda@bms.com.
Insights
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) prevalence in Japan increased from 2017 to 2021. Most HCM patients are over 50, have comorbidities, and are treated with beta-blockers, with few receiving subsidies.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Limited data exists on hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) prevalence, patient characteristics, and treatment patterns in Japan.
- Payer claims data offers a valuable resource for understanding HCM epidemiology in the Japanese population.
Purpose of the Study:
- To estimate the prevalence of HCM in Japan.
- To describe the characteristics of patients diagnosed with HCM.
- To analyze treatment patterns and the utilization of medical expense subsidies for HCM patients in Japan.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective analysis of payer claims data from multiple Japanese insurers (AEMSS, Kokuho, Kempo) between January 1, 2017, and December 31, 2021.
- Annual calculation of HCM prevalence.
- Description of medication use, comorbidities, and subsidy utilization for 2021.
Main Results:
- HCM prevalence rose from 9.3 to 11.1 per 10,000 people between 2017 and 2021.
- The highest prevalence was observed in individuals aged 85-89 years (39.0/10,000).
- Common comorbidities included hypertension and heart failure; beta-blockers were the most frequent medication. Approximately one-fifth of patients had mental health disorders. Medical expense subsidy uptake was low.
Conclusions:
- This study provides the first population-based prevalence estimate of HCM in Japan.
- HCM patients are typically over 50, present with significant comorbidities, and are primarily treated with beta-blockers.
- There is a low utilization of medical expense subsidies for HCM, and a notable prevalence of mental health disorders among affected individuals.
Introduction:
Data on the prevalence of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), characteristics of patients with HCM, and treatment patterns in Japan are limited. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of HCM and describe the patient characteristics, treatment patterns, and utilization of medical expense subsidies in Japan, using payer claims data from insurers.
Methods:
This retrospective study of patients with HCM in Japan utilized payer claims data from insurers (Advanced Elderly Medical Service System [AEMSS], Kokuho, and Kempo) from January 1, 2017, to December 31, 2021. The prevalence of HCM was calculated annually; while medication use, comorbidities, and usage of medical expense subsidies were described for 2021 as representative data.
Results:
The estimated prevalence of HCM increased from 9.3/10,000 people in 2017 to 11.1/10,000 people in 2021. In 2021, the highest prevalence was observed in patients aged 85-89 years (39.0/10,000 people). For patients with HCM, mean (standard deviation) age was 82.5 (5.5) years (AEMSS), 66.7 (9.2) years (Kokuho), and 53.4 (14.0) years (Kempo). Hypertension was the most common comorbidity (AEMSS, 90.7%; Kokuho, 85.7%; Kempo, 71.4%), followed by heart failure (AEMSS, 77.3%; Kokuho, 64.4%; Kempo, 56.9%). Mental health disorders were reported in 22.4% (AEMSS), 16.3% (Kokuho), and 11.3% (Kempo) of patients with HCM. Beta-blockers were the most frequently prescribed medications (AEMSS, 65.1%; Kokuho, 63.2%; Kempo, 56.6%). A small proportion of patients whose HCM was diagnosed in 2021 received medical expense subsidies (AEMSS, 2.6%; Kokuho, 4.6%).
Conclusions:
This study is the first to evaluate the prevalence of HCM in Japan using data from the general population as the denominator. It indicated that patients with HCM are typically > 50 years old, have a high prevalence of comorbidities, are commonly treated with beta-blockers, and rarely receive medical expense subsidies for designated intractable diseases. About one-fifth of the patients had mental health disorders.
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