Economic impact of community- and nosocomially acquired rotavirus gastroenteritis in Austria

• Published in: The Pediatric infectious disease journal Vol. 20; no. 2; pp. 184 - 188
• Main Authors: FRÜHWIRTH, MARTIN, BERGER, KARIN, EHLKEN, BIRGIT, MOLL-SCHÜLER, INGRID, BRÖSL, STEFAN, MUTZ, INGOMAR
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Baltimore, MD Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc 01-02-2001; Philadelphia, PA Lippincott; Hagerstown, MD
• Subjects: Austria; Biological and medical sciences; Child, Preschool; Community Health Services - economics; Community-Acquired Infections - economics; Cost of Illness; Cross Infection - economics; Female; Gastroenteritis - economics; Health Care Costs - statistics & numerical data; Hospital Costs - statistics & numerical data; Human viral diseases; Humans; Infant; Infectious diseases; Male; Medical sciences; Rotavirus Infections - economics; Viral diseases; Viral diseases of the digestive system; Austria; Europe; Human; Nosocomial infection; Rotavirus; Acute; Gastroenteritis; Reoviridae; Infection; Virus; Community acquired infection; Health economy; Viral disease; Digestive diseases; Intestinal disease; Cost analysis; Child; Public health; Gastric disease
• ISSN: 0891-3668; 1532-0987
• DOI: 10.1097/00006454-200102000-00013

OBJECTIVE.To determine the average costs per child for rotavirus (RV) acute gastroenteritis from different perspectives, from the hospital’s, third-party payer’s, pediatrician’s and family’s perspectives as well as in summary from the societal one.Materials and methods.This cost-of-illness study is based on data collected alongside a 6-month prospective, laboratory-confirmed epidemiologic study that evaluated the disease burden of RV infection in Austrian children ≤48 months of age. The study population at risk to contract a community- and nosocomially acquired acute gastroenteritis comprised 9687 children. All of the 51 children with community-acquired and 33 with nosocomially acquired RV acute gastroenteritis were included in this analysis. The annual costs were estimated by means of extrapolation.
RESULTS.For community-acquired RV acute gastroenteritis, the average costs from the hospital’s perspective were EURO (ε) 97.8, from the third party payer’s perspective ε95.6, followed by ε29.9 and ε9.8 from the family’s and pediatrician’s perspectives, respectively. For nosocomially acquired RV acute gastroenteritis the average costs from the hospital’s perspective were ε1494 and from the third party payer’s and family’s perspectives ε831 and ε116.8, respectively. In summary the average costs from the societal point of view for community-acquired RV acute gastroenteritis were ε250 and for nosocomial infections ε2442. After extrapolation the estimated total annual costs were ε7.17 million to ε0.97 million (13.6%) caused by community-acquired RV acute gastroenteritis and ε6.2 million (86.4%) caused by nosocomial RV acute gastroenteritis.
CONCLUSION.This cost-of-illness study clearly demonstrates the great impact of RV acute gastroenteritis, mainly of nosocomially acquired infection, on medical health care costs in Austria. To cut costs efforts in disease prevention should be encouraged.