Health Care Resource Utilization and Costs Among Adults with Atopic Dermatitis in the United States: A Claims-Based Analysis

Abstract

Data on health care resource utilization (HCRU) and costs for patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) are lacking. The objective of this study was to determine HCRU and costs associated with AD in US adults. This retrospective study identified patients with AD from the Truven Health Marketscan Commercial Claims and Encounters database during 2013 based on ≥2 claims with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision code 691.8 (n= 10,533; first claim= index event); 1-year continuous enrollment before and after index was required. Patients were age- and gender-matched in a 1:3 ratio to controls without AD (n= 31,599). Patients with AD were further categorized into 2 groups, with treatment regimens as surrogates for increasing disease severity: claim for phototherapy or systemic immunomodulatory agents (more severe) or no claim for either (less severe). Incremental differences in resource use and costs were evaluated using multivariate analysis. AD was associated with higher utilization and costs across resource categories (all P < .0001); adjusted total incremental annual costs were $3,302. Resource utilization and costs were higher in the more severe group, with adjusted total incremental annual costs of $4,463. AD is associated with significant incremental health care utilization and costs, which are higher in patients with more severe disease.