title: Cost-of-illness of leg ulcers in the community.
abstract: Leg ulcer management is complex, time-consuming and of high socio-economic importance. Data on cost-of-illness in leg ulcer care are sparse. The objective of this study was to evaluate the cost-of-illness in leg ulcer treatment in the metropolitan area of Hamburg. About 147 institutions involved in wound care participated in a cross-sectional study. Patients consecutively recruited underwent a standardised interview and clinical examination. Main economic outcomes were direct, indirect and intangible costs from a societal perspective. Five hundred and two patients with a mean age of 71 years and mean wound duration of 9 years were enrolled. Annual total costs summed up to a mean of 9060€ /patient/year (8288€ direct, 772€ indirect costs). Direct costs carried by statutory health insurances amounted to 7680€ , patients themselves paid on average 607€. Leg ulcer is associated with high costs for health insurances, patients and the society. Exploratory predictor analyses suggest that early, interprofessional disease-management could lower treatment costs.
authors.affiliation: Institute for Health Services Research in Dermatology and Nursing, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Augustin
authors.forename: Leyla K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: Brocatti
authors.forename: Stephan J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Rustenbach
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Schäfer
authors.forename: Katharina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Herberger
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002908:Chronic Disease / Q000191:economics*; D003153:Community Health Services / Q000191:economics*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D005102:Health Expenditures; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health / Q000191:economics*; D007871:Leg Ulcer / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors