Economic Burden

VIB.E.3

Lead Author(s):

Jonathan S. Kirschner, MD, RMSK

Se Won Lee, MD

Supporting Author(s):

Sylvia I. Watkins-Castillo, PhD

Studies of health care costs and resource utilization in patients with inflammatory myopathy in managed health care revealed annual medical costs were higher among newly diagnosed patients and those with existing inflammatory myopathy compared to unaffected controls.1

The direct annual medical cost of Duchene's muscular dystrophy (MD) ranges from $20,000 to over $50,000 depending on the study methodology. Medical costs include direct cost related to the myopathy and secondary problems including cardiac, respiratory, nutritional and spine complications. Medical costs related to MD and its secondary problems both increase over time.2

Mean hospital charges in 2013 for the diagnosis of myopathy was $81,800 for a mean stay of 8.9 days. This was the longest stay and highest mean charges of all neuromuscular disease categories. (Reference Table 6B.2.1 PDF [1] CSV [2] and Table 6B.2.2 PDF [3] CSV [4])

1. Furst DE, Amato AA, Iorga SR, et al. Medical costs and health-care resource use in patients with inflammatory myopathies in an insured population. Muscle Nerve 2012;46(4):496-505. doi: 10.1002/mus.23384.
2. Bell CF, Kurosky SK, Candrilli SD. Muscular dystrophy-related hospitalizations among male pediatric patients in the United States. Hosp Pract (1995) 2015;43(3):180-5. doi: 10.1080/21548331.2015.1033375.

Edition:

Fourth Edition