title: PGD for all cystic fibrosis carrier couples: novel strategy for preventive medicine and cost analysis.
abstract: Over 1000 children affected with cystic fibrosis (CF) are born annually in the USA. Since IVF with preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) is an alternative to raising a sick child or to aborting an affected fetus, a cost-benefit analysis was performed for a national IVF-PGD program for preventing CF. The amount spent to deliver healthy children for all CF carrier-couples by IVF-PGD was compared with the average annual and lifetime direct medical costs per CF patient avoided. Treating annually about 4000 CF carrier-couples with IVF-PGD would result in 3715 deliveries of non-affected children at a cost of $57,467 per baby. Because the average annual direct medical cost per CF patient was $63,127 and life expectancy is 37 years, savings would be $2.3 million per patient and $2.2 billion for all new CF patients annually in lifetime treatment costs. Cumulated net saving of an IVF-PGD program for all carrier-couples for 37 years would be $33.3 billion. A total of 618,714 cumulative years of patients suffering because of CF and thousands of abortions could be prevented. A national IVF-PGD program is a highly cost-effective novel modality of preventive medicine and would avoid most births of individuals affected with debilitating genetic disease.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Human Reproduction (IHR), 2825 N Halsted St., Chicago, IL 60657, USA. DrTK@infertilityIHR.com
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Tur-Kaspa
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aljadeff
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rechitsky
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Grotjan
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Verlinsky
mesh_terms: D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003550:Cystic Fibrosis / Q000235:genetics*; D005260:Female; D006580:Genetic Carrier Screening; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019836:Preimplantation Diagnosis; D011315:Preventive Medicine