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Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases in Belgium: A Cost-of-illness Analysis

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Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to quantify costs of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases in Belgium in 2004.

Methods

Costs were estimated using data on prevalence, healthcare resource utilization and unit costs. Healthcare costs included expenditure on ambulatory care, hospital inpatient care, emergency care, and medications. Costs of prevention campaigns and costs of productivity loss were also included.

Results

Costs amounted to 3.5 billion € in Belgium in 2004. Total costs consisted of 80 million € related to prevention and screening, 1.3 billion € related to pre-clinical disease, and 2.2 billion € related to established disease. These costs were incurred by the Belgian third-party payer (58% of costs), patients (10%) and third parties (i.e. employers and supplementary health insurance) (32%).

Conclusions

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases impose a significant economic burden on Belgian society.

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Acknowledgements

Financial support for this research was received from Pharma.be, the Belgian Association of the Medicines Industry. The authors have no conflicts of interest that are directly relevant to the content of this manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Deloitte, Diegem, Belgium

    Joan Vlayen, Jan Peers, Ingrid Moldenaers & Hans Debruyne

  2. Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Guy De Backer

  3. Research Centre for Pharmaceutical Care and Pharmaco-economics, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Onderwijs en Navorsing 2, Herestraat 49, P.O. Box 521, 3000, Leuven, Belgium

    Steven Simoens

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  1. Joan Vlayen
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  2. Guy De Backer
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  6. Steven Simoens
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Correspondence to Steven Simoens.

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Vlayen, J., De Backer, G., Peers, J. et al. Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Diseases in Belgium: A Cost-of-illness Analysis. Cardiovasc Drugs Ther 22, 487–494 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-008-6128-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10557-008-6128-5

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