Economic burden of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis: a multicenter study across Vietnamese regions

• Published in: The international journal of tuberculosis and lung disease 2018-08, Vol.22 (8), p.912-917
• Main Authors: Nam, V. X., Nhung, N. V., Hoa, N. B., Thuy, H. T. T., Phuong, N. T. M., Anh, N. T., Anh, L. T. Ngoc, Trung, V. Q., Ha, T. V., Meeyai, A., Thavorncharoensap, M., Chaikledkaew, U.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Antitubercular Agents - therapeutic use; Cost Of Illness; Costs; Cross-Sectional Studies; Databases, Factual; Female; Health care; Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data; Hospitalization - economics; Humans; Male; Males; Mdr-Tb; Middle Aged; Multidrug resistance; Multidrug resistant organisms; Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis; Patients; Prospective Studies; Treatment; Tuberculosis; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant - drug therapy; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant - economics; Tuberculosis, Multidrug-Resistant - epidemiology; Viet Nam; Vietnam - epidemiology; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1027-3719; 1815-7920
• DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.18.0039

SETTING: Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) has become a major worldwide health problem. Various studies have been conducted on the cost of MDR-TB treatment; however, this has remained largely unexplored in Viet Nam.OBJECTIVE: To estimate the total cost of MDR-TB treatment at several health care facilities in Viet Nam.DESIGN: A prospective, prevalence-based study was conducted at three selected centers from March to June 2016 in 204 patients, 102 of whom were treated for 9 months and 102 for 20 months. Direct medical costs were calculated using electronic hospital databases, while a questionnaire was used to interview participants for evaluating direct non-medical and indirect costs. Total costs were estimated from a societal perspective in 2017 USD.RESULTS: Patients were mostly males aged 25-44 years. The average length of hospitalization in the 9-month treatment group was 168 ± 127 days; in the 20-month group, it was 671 ± 119 days. The average treatment cost for MDR-TB was respectively US$1480.34 ± 211.61 and US$2695.58 ± 294.98 for the 9- and 20-month treatment groups. Direct medical costs generally accounted for the highest proportion of the total costs, while the cost of pharmaceuticals and materials comprised the highest direct cost.CONCLUSION: There was a significant difference in total costs among the three hospitals in the 9- and 20-month treatment groups.