Study Highlights the Substantial Economic and Health Care Burden of Vitiligo
Patients with vitiligo in the US face significantly higher health care costs and resource utilization compared with the general population, according to a study published in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.
Vitiligo is a chronic autoimmune disorder with no cure, leading patients to incur substantial direct costs, including medical fees, pharmacy expenses, and out-of-pocket expenditures. Despite these financial burdens, there is a lack of published studies quantifying health care resource utilization (HCRU) and medical costs for vitiligo patients compared with the general population.
“Thus, this retrospective study aims to evaluate the healthcare costs and HCRU among patients with vitiligo using data from the Merative MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters database,” the researchers stated.
The researchers analyzed health care claims from 148 536 matched individuals (49 512 with vitiligo, 99 024 controls). All-cause health care costs for patients with vitiligo were $7816 higher annually than those for controls, with an additional $3436 attributable specifically to vitiligo care. Costs were driven by medical treatments, pharmacy expenses, and therapies such as phototherapy, which added $235 per year.
HCRU was also markedly elevated among patients with vitiligo. A greater proportion had at least 1 emergency room visit (17.5% vs 13.4%), inpatient admission (12.9% vs 6.8%), or outpatient visit (99.8% v. 88.3%) compared with controls. Mental health-related utilization was notably higher as well, with more patients with vitiligo requiring emergency or inpatient care for conditions such as anxiety and depression.
Patients undergoing treatments with systemic effects, such as corticosteroids or phototherapy, incurred even greater costs, with total annual health care costs reaching $22 275 compared with $8247 for controls. Similarly, those with new mental health diagnoses related to vitiligo experienced annual costs of $25 636, reflecting the intertwined impact of the disease on physical and mental well-being.
Regional and demographic factors further contextualized the burden. Most patients with vitiligo were women (79.2%), aged 41.6 years on average, and predominantly resided in the southern US (39%). Fee-for-service insurance plans were the most common among patients with vitiligo (81.9%), aligning with elevated health care expenses.
“These findings reveal an unmet need for cost-effective treatments and highlight the importance of fully identifying the drivers of economic burden for patients with vitiligo,” concluded the study authors.
Reference
Ezzedine K, Soliman AM, Li C, Camp HS, Pandya AG. Economic burden among patients with vitiligo in the United States: a retrospective database claims study. J Invest Dermatol. 2024;144(3):540-546.e1. doi:10.1016/j.jid.2023.08.025
