title: The cost of generalized anxiety disorder in primary care settings: results of the ANCORA study.
abstract: To assess the cost of illness of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) in a primary healthcare setting in Spain. A cross-sectional, retrospective study was conducted. The sample comprised patients diagnosed with GAD according to ICD-10 criteria and a control group. Healthcare/non-healthcare resource utilization was recorded retrospectively for the 12 months prior to the study visit. Costs were estimated from a societal perspective. Two models have been produced to study the variables that influence the cost of the illness both, without and with controls. The study enrolled 456 patients [76.8 % women, 49.2 (17.0) years] with GAD and 74 controls without GAD [42.5 % women, 47.9 (16.7) years]. 67.8 % of subjects were on combination therapy (antidepressant + anxiolytic); 6 % were using 2 or more drugs to treat anxiety; and 23.4 % were on monotherapy. Total annual average costs were higher in the GAD group (€7,739 vs. €2,609), with mean costs attributable to GAD of €5,139 (healthcare costs: €1,329, indirect costs: 75 % of total cost, approximately). Age and health status measured by Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and clinical global impression were related to costs. The improvements in quality of life measured by EQ-5D index are associated to lower cost. GAD treated in Spanish primary healthcare settings generated considerable healthcare costs and, particularly, loss-of-productivity costs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rovira
authors.forename: Guillermina
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Albarracin
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salvador
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rejas
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sánchez-Iriso
authors.forename: Juan M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Cabasés
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004526:Efficiency; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000191:economics; D008875:Middle Aged; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013030:Spain; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D000928:Antidepressive Agents