Abstract
BackgroundKnee osteoarthritis is a leading global cause of health-related quality of life loss. The aim of this project was to quantify health losses arising from knee osteoarthritis in New Zealand (NZ) in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost.MethodsThe Osteoarthritis Policy Model (OAPol), a validated Monte Carlo computer simulation model, was used to estimate QALYs lost due to knee osteoarthritis in the NZ adult population aged 40–84 over their lifetimes from the base year of 2006 until death. Data were from the NZ Health Survey, NZ Burden of Diseases, NZ Census, and relevant literature. QALYs were derived from NZ EQ-5D value set 2. Sensitivity to health state valuation, disease and pain prevalence were assessed in secondary analyses.ResultsBased on NZ EQ-5D health state valuations, mean health losses due to knee osteoarthritis over people’s lifetimes in NZ are 3.44 QALYs per person, corresponding to 467,240 QALYs across the adult population. Average estimated per person QALY losses are higher for non-Māori females (3.55) than Māori females (3.38), and higher for non-Māori males (3.34) than Māori males (2.60). The proportion of QALYs lost out of the total quality-adjusted life expectancy for those without knee osteoarthritis is similar across all subgroups, ranging from 20 to 23 percent.ConclusionsAt both the individual and population levels, knee osteoarthritis is responsible for large lifetime QALY losses. QALY losses are higher for females than males due to greater prevalence of knee osteoarthritis and higher life expectancy, and lower for Māori than non-Māori due to lower life expectancy. Large health gains are potentially realisable from public health and policy measures aimed at decreasing incidence, progression, pain, and disability of osteoarthritis.
Highlights
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent condition that can result in disabling pain and loss of physical function
The proportion of quality-adjusted life year (QALY) lost out of the total quality-adjusted life expectancy for those without knee osteoarthritis is similar across all subgroups, ranging from 20 to 23 percent
At both the individual and population levels, knee osteoarthritis is responsible for large lifetime QALY losses
Summary
Osteoarthritis (OA) is a highly prevalent condition that can result in disabling pain and loss of physical function. New Zealand (NZ) data confirm that physician-diagnosed and symptomatic OA increases with age, from at least 8% of people aged 45–55 years to 30% aged over 75.[1] The most common site of OA is the knee;[2] knee OA is a leading cause of global disability and is associated with significant economic costs as well as reduced quality of life.[3, 4] United States (US) data indicate that the incidence of knee OA peaks in the 55–65 age group at around 0.4% annually and has an average incidence of approximately 0.25% from age 25 to 85 years. Knee osteoarthritis is a leading global cause of health-related quality of life loss The aim of this project was to quantify health losses arising from knee osteoarthritis in New Zealand (NZ) in terms of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) lost
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