Lifetime cost of treating a person with HIV infection

A study was conducted to examine the inpatient, outpatient and drug therapy costs incurred from initial presentation with HIV infection or AIDS to death, where death occurred between 1990 and 1994. The average lifetime cost per patient was 18,729 pounds being made up of 8428 pounds for inpatient care, 2086 pounds for outpatient care and 8215 pounds for drug therapy. Sixty per cent of patients died at home. Active cytomegalovirus infection was the most common condition encountered in the high cost patients. Escalating drug costs may eventually lead to priority setting for the management of certain opportunistic infections.