Italian healthcare resource consumption for patients on hemodialysis treated for chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP)

• Published in: Global & regional health technology assessment (Online) 2024-01, Vol.11 (1), p.22-30
• Main Authors: Calabria, Silvia, Manenti, Lucio, Ronconi, Giulia, Piccinni, Carlo, Dondi, Letizia, Dondi, Leonardo, Pedrini, Antonella, Esposito, Immacolata, Addesi, Alice, Aucella, Filippo, Martini, Nello
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Costs; Dialysis; End-stage kidney disease; Italy; Original; Retrospective analysis; RWE
• ISSN: 2284-2403; 2283-5733
• DOI: 10.33393/grhta.2024.2696

Chronic kidney disease-associated pruritus (CKD-aP) affects patients on hemodialysis. This study identified hemodialysis patients presumably affected or not affected by CKD-aP and integrated healthcare costs, from the perspective of the Italian administrative healthcare data. Through cross-linkage of Italian administrative healthcare data collected between 2015 and 2017 (accrual period) in the database of Fondazione ReS (Ricerca e Salute), patients undergoing in-hospital/outpatient hemodialysis were selected. Cohorts with and without CKD-aP were created based on the presence/absence of CKD-aP-related treatment (according to common clinical practice and guidelines) supplies and assessed in terms of CKD-aP-related treatments and mean healthcare costs per capita paid by the Italian National Health Service (INHS). Of 1,239 people on hemodialysis for ≥2 years, CKD-aP affected 218 patients. Patients with CKD-aP were older and with more comorbidities. During the follow-up year, on average, the INHS spent €37,065 per case, €31,286 per control and € 35,988 per non-CKD-aP subject. High-efficiency dialytic therapies performed to people on hemodialysis with CKD-aP largely weighed on the overall mean annual cost. This real-world study identified patients on chronic hemodialysis potentially treated for CKD-aP. Interestingly, high-efficiency dialysis seems the most frequent and expensive choice for the treatment of CKD-aP. The discovery of appropriate and effective treatments for this condition might offer cost offsets.