D. Pomerantz

Direct and Indirect Costs Associated With Increasing Body Mass Index (Bmi) In the Eu5

PSY46 The CoST of ACTive SYSTemiC LuPuS erYThemAToSuS in GreeCe reSuLTS from The LYCoS STudY Athanasakis K.1, Karampli E.1, Psomali D.2, Perna A.3, Kyriopoulos J.1 1National School of Public Health, Athens, Greece, 2GlaxoSmithKline, Halandri, Greece, 3GlaxoSmithKline, Brentford, UK Objectives: Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease, characterized by periods of remissions and flares, with significant clinical and economic burden. The primary study objective was to estimate the 1-year direct medical cost for adult patients with active, autoantibody-positive SLE in Greece. MethOds: This is a national, multi-centre, retrospective study. Data were abstracted from patient records in 6 hospital centers specialized in SLE management. Starting with the patient with the most recent visit, patients with consecutive visits (backwards in time) were considered for inclusion, provided they met specific criteria. In order to estimate costs per disease severity, a stratification criterion was applied. Patient data were collected for a 1-year period starting from the inclusion date (January -September 2011) and moving forward. Data included patient characteristics and health care resource utilization. In addition, all SLE patients fulfilling the inclusion criteria and followed-up in the participating centers during a 3-month retrospective period were recorded. For cost calculation, official 2013 list prices were used. Results: 215 patients (30% severe according to the stratification criterion) were included in the study. Mean direct medical costs were estimated at € 1,225 for patients with non-severe and at € 3,741 for patients with severe active SLE. Laboratory and imaging tests, medicines, physicians’ visits, and hospitalization costs represented 10.5%, 51.7%, 1.2%, 36.5% of mean cost respectively. Costs were statistically significantly higher for severe SLE patients. The total number of patients visiting the participating clinical sites during a 3-month period was 318 (19% with severe SLE). The weighted mean annual direct medical cost of SLE in Greece was estimated at € 1,703. cOnclusiOns: Direct medical cost of SLE in Greece is significant, especially for patients with severe disease. An estimation of indirect costs would provide a comprehensive picture of the societal burden of the disease.