Economic Burden of Hidradenitis Suppurativa in Spain

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a highly disabling chronic inflammatory disorder affecting up to 1% of the Spanish population. It is a complex disease that requires significant resources and imposes a considerable economic burden. The aim of this study was to assess the economic burden of diagnosed HS in Spain both at patient and population level.

The study was conducted from a societal perspective using a bottom-up, prevalence-based approach. We evaluated publicly financed direct healthcare costs (consultations, diagnostic tests, inpatient admissions, surgery, comorbidities, treatment), direct nonhealthcare costs (formal and informal care, out-of-pocket expenses), and indirect costs (absenteeism and productivity loss) incurred by patients diagnosed with HS. A sensitivity analysis was conducted to test the uncertainty of the model.

The mean annual cost of treating all severities of patients with HS in Spain was €39,535.10. The largest cost components across all categories were informal care (46.05%), treatment (18.24%), out-of-pocket expenses (12.76%), loss of work productivity (10.82%), and surgery (5.62%). Moderate and severe patients cost 64.05% (€34,221.92) and 170.53% (€56,432.77) more than mild patients (€20,860.35), respectively. Assuming a prevalence of 1% and a diagnostic rate of 10%, the total economic burden of diagnosed HS in Spain was estimated at €1587 million.

HS has a significant economic impact on patients, their families, the healthcare system, and wider society. This is particularly evident among patients with moderate-to-severe HS. To reduce the economic burden and improve quality of life, efforts should be made to prevent the disease from progressing and to ensure that patients remain in the milder stages.