title: The Cost and Utility of Renal Transplantation in Malaysia.
abstract: Kidney transplantation is the optimal therapy for the majority of patients with end-stage renal disease. However, the cost and health outcomes of transplantation have not been assessed in a middle-income nation with a low volume of transplantation, such as Malaysia.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study used microcosting methods to determine the cost and health outcomes of living and deceased donor kidney transplantation in adult and pediatric recipients. The perspective used was from the Ministry of Health Malaysia. Cost-effectiveness measures were cost per life year (LY) and cost per quality-adjusted LYs. The time horizon was the lifetime of the transplant recipient from transplant to death.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Records of 206 KT recipients (118 adults and 88 children) were obtained for microcosting. In adults, discounted cost per LY was US $8609(Malaysian Ringgit [RM]29 482) and US $13 209(RM45 234) for living-donor kidney transplant (LKT) and deceased donor kidney transplant (DKT), respectively, whereas in children, it was US $10 485(RM35 905) and US $14 985(RM51 317), respectively. Cost per quality-adjusted LY in adults was US $8826 (RM30 224) for LKT and US $13 592(RM46 546) for DKT. Total lifetime discounted costs of adult transplants were US $119 702 (RM409 921) for LKT, US $147 152 (RM503 922) for DKT. Total costs for pediatric transplants were US $154 841(RM530 252) and US $159 313(RM545 566) for the 2 categories respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both LKT and DKT are economically favorable for Malaysian adult and pediatric patients with ESRD and result in improvement in quality of life.
authors: Department of Nephrology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors: Sunita
authors: S
authors: Bavanandan
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Hospital Kuala Lumpur Malaysia.
authors: Yok-Chin
authors: YC
authors: Yap
authors: Department of Nephrology, Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors: Ghazali
authors: G
authors: Ahmad
authors: Department of Nephrology, Hospital Selayang, Malaysia.
authors: Hin-Seng
authors: HS
authors: Wong
authors: Azmi Burhani Consulting, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
authors: Soraya
authors: S
authors: Azmi
authors: Azmi Burhani Consulting, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.
authors: Adrian
authors: A
authors: Goh