HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hartmann, K. E. Articles by Stang, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hartmann, K. E. Articles by Stang, P. Related Collections Gynecologic surgery Cost effective analysis

Annual Costs Associated With Diagnosis of Uterine Leiomyomata

From the ¹Center for Women’s Health Research, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina; ²Analysis Group Inc, Boston, Massachusetts; ³TAP Pharmaceutical Products Inc, Lake Forest, Illinois; ⁴West Chester University, West Chester, Pennsylvania.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the annual care, direct health care, and indirect work loss costs for women with a diagnosis of uterine leiomyomata.

METHODS: We examined data from an employer claims database of 1.2 million beneficiaries (1999 to 2003). Analysis was restricted to women with at least 12 months of continuous coverage and ages 18 to 64 years with at least one diagnosis of leiomyomata (International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, 218.xx, 654.1x). We selected a comparison group of women without a leiomyoma diagnosis using a 1:1 match on age, employment, region, health plan type, and length of enrollment. We compared resource use, disability claims, and excess costs in the year after the index diagnosis.

RESULTS: The average age of women diagnosed with leiomyomata in this study was 43.7 years. Women with leiomyomata (N=5,122) had more clinic visits (relative risk [RR] 1.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.2–1.2), diagnostic tests (RR 3.1, 95% CI 2.9–3.2), and procedures (RR 34.6, 95% CI 25.8–46.5) than controls (N=5,122). Within 1 year of the diagnosis of leiomyomata, 42% of women had a complete blood count, 66% had pelvic imaging, and 30% had surgery (68% of surgical procedures involved hysterectomy). Women with leiomyomata were 3-fold more likely to have disability claims (RR 3.1, 95% CI 2.7–3.6). Estimated average annual excess cost for each woman with leiomyomata (adjusted for confounders) was $4,624 ($771 in work loss costs). Total costs for women with leiomyomata were 2.6 times greater than for controls.

CONCLUSION: Diagnosed uterine leiomyomata are associated with increased resource use and with substantially higher health care and work loss costs.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II-3

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. C. Hodge, B. J. Quade, M. A. Rubin, E. A. Stewart, P. Dal Cin, and C. C. Morton Molecular and Cytogenetic Characterization of Plexiform Leiomyomata Provide Further Evidence for Genetic Heterogeneity Underlying Uterine Fibroids Am. J. Pathol., May 1, 2008; 172(5): 1403 - 1410. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. C. Goodwin, J. B. Spies, R. Worthington-Kirsch, E. Peterson, G. Pron, S. Li, E. R. Myers, and for the Fibroid Registry for Outcomes Data (FIBROI Uterine Artery Embolization for Treatment of Leiomyomata: Long-Term Outcomes From the FIBROID Registry Obstet. Gynecol., January 1, 2008; 111(1): 22 - 33. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. A. Stewart, B. Gostout, J. Rabinovici, H. S. Kim, L. Regan, C. M. C. Tempany, and for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Guided Focused Sustained Relief of Leiomyoma Symptoms by Using Focused Ultrasound Surgery Obstet. Gynecol., August 1, 2007; 110(2): 279 - 287. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. C. Hodge and C. C. Morton Genetic heterogeneity among uterine leiomyomata: insights into malignant progression Hum. Mol. Genet., April 15, 2007; 16(R1): R7 - R13. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]