Assessment of hospital costs related to the diagnosis and treatment of upper gastrointestinal haemorrhages in patients consuming non steroid anti-inflammatory drugs.
BACKGROUND
Non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) can produce haemorrhages of the digestive tract, whose treatment result in significant hospital costs.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this analysis has been to estimate hospital costs related to the treatment of digestive haemorrhages potentially caused by the intake of NSAIDs.


METHODS
The study was conducted by reviewing the clinical history of all patients admitted in two tertiary Spanish hospitals during 1998 due to digestive haemorrhage following NSAID treatment. After the identification of cases, all resources consumed during their hospitalisation (concomitant medication, complementary examinations and tests, surgery, blood products consumption, inpatient consultations and length of stay in the hospital) until the complete resolution of each case, were recorded.


RESULTS
Thirty-six percent of patients admitted due to digestive haemorrhage had taken some NSAID the same day of their hospitalisation (85.4%) or in previous days. The cost related to the treatment of these patients amounted to some 71 million pesetas for both hospitals, with a cost/patient of 434,407 pesetas.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the high consumption of NSAIDs in our normal clinical setting, costs related to the diagnosis and treatment of digestive haemorrhages in hospitals are a highly significant burden for the National Health System.
Vargas
E
E
Clinical Pharmacology Service, Hospital Clínico, Madrid, Spain.
Cabrera
L
L
Morón
A
A
García
M
M
Soto
J
J
Guadarrama
I
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000009:adverse effects*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D006471:Gastrointestinal Hemorrhage / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics* / Q000209:etiology; D017721:Hospital Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D013030:Spain
D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal