@article{0c9a037f7a864e99a173fb77ec01f278,
title = "SLE patients with renal damage incur higher health care costs",
abstract = "Objectives. To compare costs and quality of life (QoL) between SLE patients with and without renal damage. Methods. Seven hundred and fifteen patients were surveyed semi-annually over 4 yrs on health care use and productivity loss and annually on QoL. Cumulative direct and indirect costs (2006 Canadian dollars) and QoL (average annual change in SF-36) were compared between patients with and without renal damage [Systemic Lupus International Collaborating Clinics/ACR Damage Index (SLICC/ACR DI)] using simultaneous regressions. Results. At study conclusion, for patients with the renal subscale of the SLICC/ACR DI = 0 (n = 634), 1 (n = 54), 2 (n = 15) and 3 (n = 12), mean 4-yr cumulative direct costs per patient (95% CI) were $ 20 337 ($ 18 815, $ 21 858), $ 27 869 ($ 19 230, $ 36 509), $ 51 191 ($ 23 463, $ 78 919) and $ 99 544 ($ 57 102, $ 141 987), respectively. In a regression where the renal subscale of the SLICC/ACR DI was a single indicator variable, on average (95%CI), each unit increase in renal damage was associated with a 24% (15%, 33%) increase in direct costs. In a regression where each level in the renal subscale was an indicator variable, patients with end-stage renal disease incurred 103% (65%, 141%) higher direct costs than those without renal damage. Cumulative indirect costs and annual change in the SF-36 summary scores did not differ between patients. Conclusions. SLE patients with renal damage incurred higher direct costs, but did not experience a poorer QoL. QoL may be more influenced by concurrent renal activity than accumulated renal damage, which can occur at any time and patients may gradually habituate to their compromised health state.",
keywords = "Direct costs, Indirect costs, Quality of life, Renal damage, SLE",
author = "Clarke, {Ann E.} and P. Panopalis and M. Petri and S. Manzi and Isenberg, {D. A.} and C. Gordon and Sen{\'e}cal, {J. L.} and L. Joseph and {St Pierre}, Y. and T. Li",
note = "Funding Information: Funding: Supported by grants from Bristol-Myers Squibb Company, the Fonds de la recherche en sant{\'e} du Qu{\'e}bec, and The Arthritis Society of Canada. The Montreal General Lupus Cohort is partially supported by the Singer Family Fund for Lupus Research; the Hopkins Lupus Cohort is supported by National Institutes of Health (NIH) RO1 AR43727 and by the Outpatient Clinical Research Center, RR 00722; the Pittsburgh Cohort is supported by the Lupus Foundation, Pennsylvania Chapter, K24 AR00213, NIH RO1 AR46588, Arthritis Foundation, National, NIH/5RO1 AL54900-02; the Birmingham Cohort is supported in part by the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility and Lupus UK. Dr Clarke and Dr Joseph are National Research Scholars of the Fonds de la recherche en sant{\'e} du Qu{\'e}bec; Dr Panopalis is a Research Fellow of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research; Dr Petri is supported by the Hopkins Lupus Cohort RO1 AR43727-06 and the General Clinical Research Center MO1-RR 00052; Dr Li is an employee of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company. Funding Information: This authors would like to acknowledge the support of Tri-nation Staff: Montreal General Hospital: Tina Panaritis BA, Popi Panaritis, Kathy Margonis, Maura Trifero RN, Diane Ferland RN, Carolyn Neville BA, RN, Mary Orsini-Dudin; University of Pittsburgh: Joan Rairie RN, BSN; University of Birmingham: Stephanie Heaton RGN, Lupus UK Specialist Research Nurse. The authors thank all the participating physicians (University of Birmingham: Margaret Allen PhD, MD; Simon Bowman PhD, MD), Kim Allan for her expert technical assistance, and the patients, which made this study possible.",
year = "2008",
month = mar,
doi = "10.1093/rheumatology/kem373",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "47",
pages = "329--333",
journal = "Rheumatology",
issn = "1462-0324",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "3",
}