title: Prevalence estimates of diagnosed viral hepatitis B, liver condition outcomes and hospitalization costs: a population record-linkage study in Tayside, Scotland.
abstract: We estimated prevalence and incidence of liver condition outcomes, and costs to the health service of diagnosed hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Tayside, UK. HBV patients were identified from electronic virology data between 1989 and 2003. The health resource costs of HBV for surface antigen-positive (HBsAg+) patients and HBV (HBsAg+ or immune, i.e. recovered) patients were calculated. A total of 633 patients had HBV (275 HBsAg+), and were more likely to be male (62% vs. 48%), older (mean age 42.6 vs. 39 . 2 years) and deprived than the general population. The prevalence of immune individuals increased steadily. Post-HBV diagnosis, 24% of immune and 13% of HBsAg+ patients were diagnosed with a liver condition. The median cost per immune patient (£3023) was greater than per HBsAg+ patient (£1498) (P=0.02). While increasing prevalence of immune HBV patients highlights an increase in screening and treatment, the costs associated with this group are high.
authors.affiliation: Division of Applied Health Sciences, University of Aberdeen, UK. d.mclernon@abdn.ac.uk
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: McLernon
authors.forename: P T
authors.initials: PT
authors.lastname: Donnan
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Dillon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006509:Hepatitis B / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D053208:Kaplan-Meier Estimate; D008099:Liver / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012606:Scotland / Q000453:epidemiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome