title: Direct and indirect resource use, healthcare costs and work force absence in patients with non-infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To ascertain resource use, costs and risk of workforce absence in non-infectious uveitis cases versus matched controls.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a retrospective claims analysis of employees in the United States, prevalent (N = 705) and incident (N = 776) cases 18-64 years old with ≥2 diagnoses of non-infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis were matched 1:1 to controls without uveitis. Persistent prevalent cases (treated for ≥90 days, N = 112) also were analysed. Outcomes were annual direct resource use and costs associated with inpatient stays; emergency department, outpatient and ophthalmologist/optometrist visits; and prescription drugs. Indirect resource use and costs associated with work loss from disability and medically related absenteeism also were compared. Multivariate regression assessed cost differences between cases and controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Cases had significantly (p < 0.05) more medical resource use versus controls including 0.4 versus 0.2 emergency visits and 16.5 versus 7.6 outpatient/other visits. Cases used more prescription drugs (7.8 versus 4.1) and had more disability days (10.3 versus 4.6), medically related absenteeism days (8.5 versus 3.8), and work loss days (18.7 versus 8.4) than controls (all p < 0.05). Total direct ($12 940 versus $3730) and indirect ($3144 versus $1378) costs were higher in cases than controls (all p < 0.05). Results for persistent cases suggested greater utilization and associated cost and work loss burden. Compared with controls, cases had significantly greater risks of workforce absence, leave of absence and long-term disability (all p < 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Non-infectious intermediate, posterior or panuveitis, particularly persistent disease, is associated with substantial medical and work loss costs suggesting an unmet need for more effective treatments.
authors.affiliation: Department of Ophthalmology, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.|Department of Epidemiology, Center for Clinical Trials, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA.
authors.forename: Jennifer E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Thorne
authors.affiliation: AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Martha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Skup
authors.affiliation: AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Namita
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Tundia
authors.affiliation: Analysis Group, Inc., New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Dendy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Macaulay
authors.affiliation: Analysis Group, Inc., New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Cindy
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Revol
authors.affiliation: AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Jingdong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chao
authors.affiliation: AbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
authors.forename: Avani
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Joshi
authors.affiliation: Clinical Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK.|National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre, Moorfields Eye Hospital and Institute of Ophthalmology, London, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Dick
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006280:Health Workforce / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015864:Panuveitis / Q000191:economics*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D015867:Uveitis, Intermediate / Q000191:economics*; D015866:Uveitis, Posterior / Q000191:economics*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: direct costs; indirect costs; non-infectious; persistent; uveitis; work disability