Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy in Spain: a retrospective analysis of hospital incidence and medical costs

ABSTRACT

Background

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is a rare disorder that usually involves long-term impairment. Despite the chronic health-care needs that are often associated, research evaluating the economic burden of this disorder is still scarce. This study aimed to assess the characteristics of patients admitted with CIDP in Spanish hospitals and to determine the associated medical costs.

Methods

A retrospective multicenter study was designed analyzing records of hospital and ambulatory visits of patients with CIDP in Spanish hospitals between 2004 and 2018. Medical costs registered in hospital facilities were evaluated.

Results

Admission files corresponding to 2805 patients diagnosed with CIDP were extracted from the database: 64.7% of patients were males, and median age was 60 years. Patients presented comorbidities that included essential hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes mellitus. The raw number of admissions for CIDP increased significantly over the study period, similarly to mean admission costs for all age groups. Consequently, total hospital medical costs associated with CIDP increased over the study period. The mean medical cost per admission was €3953.

Conclusions

The increasing number of hospital cases of CIDP is associated with rising medical costs. Further research will be required to fully evaluate the medical and societal burdens of this disorder.

KEYWORDS:

• Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy
• hospital incidence
• medical costs
• Spain

Ethics approval and consent to participate

Ethics committee approval and consent were not required for this study.

Data availability statement

Data sharing is restricted due to legal stipulations, yet the data that support the findings of this study are fully available from the Spanish Ministry of Health via the Unit of Health Care Information and Statistics (Spanish Institute of Health Information) for researchers who meet the criteria for access to confidential data at https://www.mscbs.gob.es/estadEstudios/sanidadDatos/home.htm.

Declaration of interests

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

Reviewer disclosures

Peer reviewers on this manuscript have no relevant financial or other relationships to disclose.

Author contributions

J Darbà contributed to the investigation by analyzing and interpreting the burden associated with CIDP in Spain and was a major contribution in the intellectual content revision. A Marsà analyzed the current situation of CIDP in Spain, interpreted the statistical data, and was a major contributor in writing the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.