COVID-19 in Immunocompromised Populations: Prevalence, Risks, and Costs

Individuals with a medical condition or taking a medication that suppresses their immune system have a higher risk of contracting COVID-19 and incurring significant health care costs and utilization than other patients, according to research published in Current Medical Research and Opinion.  

The prevalence of patients with an immunocompromising condition at risk for COVID-19 was estimated by researchers using data from the Healthcare Integrated Research Database (HIRD). They also estimated the prevalence rate (PR) and incidence rate (IR) of COVID-19 according to different immunocompromising conditions and aimed to describe the health care resource utilization (HCRU) and costs associated with COVID-19. 

The source population data included 16,873,161 patients, 2.7% (n = 458,049) of whom were immunocompromised (IC). During the study period, the COVID-19 IR for the combined IC group was 101.3 cases per 1000 person-years, with a PR of 13.5%.  

Notably, the highest IR (195 cases per 1000 person-years) and PR (20.1%) were observed in the end-stage renal disease (ESRD) cohort, while the lowest IR (68.3 cases per 1000 person-years) and PR (9.4%) were observed in the cohort with hematologic or solid tumor malignancies. The average cost of hospitalizations related to the initial diagnosis of COVID-19 was approximately $1 billion for 14,516 IC patients, averaging $64,029 per patient. 

“Immunocompromised populations appear to be at substantial risk of severe COVID-19 outcomes, leading to increased costs and HCRU,” said researchers. “Effective prophylactic options are still needed for these high-risk populations as the COVID-19 landscape evolves.” 

Reference  

Ketkar A, Willey V, Pollack M, et all. Assessing the risk and costs of COVID-19 in immunocompromised populations in a large United States commercial insurance health plan: the EPOCH-US study. Current Medical Research and Opinion. 2023;39(8):1103-1118. doi:10.1080/03007995.2023.2233819