Atopic Dermatitis Poses Significant Financial Burden on Patients

Researchers found that atopic dermatitis (AD) poses a significant burden on direct and indirect health care costs for adults with the disease. Manjelievskaia et al published the results in Journal of Managed Care and Specialty Pharmacy.

To evaluate the costs of AD among adults, they conducted a retrospective cohort study of commercial and Medicare-insured adults with AD. This patient population was directly matched with adults without AD, and data regarding health care utilization, direct health care costs, and work loss were compared between cohorts.

In total, 31,164 adults with AD were included. This population had increased use of outpatient services and pharmacy services as well as short-term disability benefits. The greater utilization of outpatient services resulted in additional costs of $4,979.

While the results showed increased costs in the adult AD population, the authors noted that the results should be underestimated because patients with mild AD may not medical treatment.

Reference
Manjelievskaia J, Boytsov N, Brouillette MA, et al. The direct and indirect costs of adult atopic dermatitis. J Manage Care Spec Pharm. 2021;27(10):1416-1425. doi:10.18553/jmcp.2021.27.10.1416