Treatment costs of hepatitis C infection among injection drug users in Canada, 2006-2026
Autor: | Evan Wood, Robert W. H. Palmer, Thomas Kerr, Dan Werb, Robert S. Remis, Neil Hershfield |
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Rok vydání: | 2009 |
Předmět: |
Drug
Male Risk medicine.medical_specialty Canada Hepatitis C virus media_common.quotation_subject Medicine (miscellaneous) HIV Infections Disease medicine.disease_cause Injections Drug Users Indirect Treatment Environmental health Medicine Humans Activity-based costing Treatment costs Substance Abuse Intravenous media_common Medical treatment business.industry Health Policy virus diseases Hepatitis C Health Care Costs medicine.disease digestive system diseases Markov Chains Surgery Female business |
Zdroj: | The International journal on drug policy. 22(1) |
ISSN: | 1873-4758 |
Popis: | Background Canadian injection drug users (IDUs) are at high risk of hepatitis C virus infection (HCV). However, little is known about the costs associated with their HCV-related medical treatment. We estimated the medical costs of treating HCV-infected IDUs from 2006 to 2026. Methods We employed a Markov model of entry through birth or immigration to exposure-related behaviours or experiences, HCV infection, progression to HCV sequelae and mortality for active and ex-IDUs in Canada. We estimated direct and indirect treatment costs using data from the Ontario Case Costing Initiative (OCCI). Result Approximately 137,000 IDUs will suffer from HCV-related disease each year until 2026. Applying the OCCI cost data to the prevalence of HCV-related disease from 2006 to 2026 yielded an estimated cost of $3.96 billion CND to treat HCV-infected IDUs. Conclusions Substantial costs are associated with the treatment of HCV-related disease among Canadian IDUs. Given the lack of effective HCV prevention strategies in Canada, we must develop targeted evidence-based responses to prevent HCV transmission and ensure appropriate allocation of medical resources to meet the present and future treatment needs of HCV-infected IDUs. |
Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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