Study finds significant inpatient burden for AD patients

A recent study looked at the inpatient burden on patients with atopic dermatitis (AD) in the United States and found a significant financial burden due to the high hospitalization rates.

Using data from the 2002-2012 National Inpatient Sample, the authors looked at 582 and 3,748 primary adult admissions for AD and eczema respectively. They found that hospitalization rates for AD or eczema (AD-E) were greatest in extreme climates, i.e., the northeast during the winter months and the south during the summer months.

While the geometric mean cost of care was lower for adult AD-E patients compared to adult non-AD-E patients ($3,502 vs $6,849), the high rates of hospitalization resulted in total inpatient costs of $8,288,083 per year for adults with AD-E.

The authors note that while they were able to use a strong sample in the study, their data lacked information about the onset, severity and phenotype of AD, and how or who was making the diagnosis.

Reference: Narla S, Hsu DY, Thyssen JP, Silverberg JI. Inpatient financial burden of atopic dermatitis in the United States. J Invest Dermatol. 2017, Mar; epub ahead of print.