TY - JOUR
T1 - Digital ulcers in systemic sclerosis
T2 - Their epidemiology, clinical characteristics, and associated clinical and economic burden
AU - Morrisroe, Kathleen
AU - Stevens, Wendy
AU - Sahhar, Joanne
AU - Ngian, Gene Siew
AU - Ferdowsi, Nava
AU - Hill, Catherine L.
AU - Roddy, Janet
AU - Walker, Jennifer
AU - Proudman, Susanna
AU - Nikpour, Mandana
PY - 2019/12/23
Y1 - 2019/12/23
N2 - Background: To determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of systemic sclerosis-related digital ulcers, and associated direct health care costs, quality of life, and survival. Methods: Digital ulcers (DUs) were defined as an area with a visually discernible depth and a loss of continuity of epithelial coverage. DU severity was calculated based on the physician reported highest number of new DUs at clinical review (mild = 1-5 DUs, moderate 6-10 DUs, severe > 10 DUs). Healthcare use was captured through data linkage, wherein SSc clinical data captured prospectively in a dedicated clinical database were linked with health services databases to capture hospital admissions, emergency department (ED) presentations and ambulatory care (MBS) utilization and cost for the period 2008-2015. Healthcare cost determinants were estimated using logistic regression. Results: Among 1085 SSc patients, 48.6% experienced a DU over a mean follow-up of 5.2 ± 2.5 years. Those who developed DUs were more likely to have diffuse disease subtype (34.9% vs 18.2%, p < 0.001), anti-Scl-70 antibody (18.9% vs 9.3%, p < 0.001), and a younger age at SSc onset (43.6 ± 13.9 vs 48.8 ± 14.0 years, p < 0.001) in addition to reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measured by the SF-36 but without a significant impact on survival. SSc patients with a history of a DU utilized significantly more healthcare resources per annum than those without a DU, including hospitalizations, ED presentation, and ambulatory care services. Total healthcare services, excluding medications, were associated with an annual excess cost per DU patient of AUD$12,474 (8574-25,677), p < 0.001, driven by hospital admission and ED presentation costs. Conclusion: DUs place a large burden on the patient and healthcare system through reduced HRQoL and increased healthcare resource utilization and associated cost.
AB - Background: To determine the frequency and clinical characteristics of systemic sclerosis-related digital ulcers, and associated direct health care costs, quality of life, and survival. Methods: Digital ulcers (DUs) were defined as an area with a visually discernible depth and a loss of continuity of epithelial coverage. DU severity was calculated based on the physician reported highest number of new DUs at clinical review (mild = 1-5 DUs, moderate 6-10 DUs, severe > 10 DUs). Healthcare use was captured through data linkage, wherein SSc clinical data captured prospectively in a dedicated clinical database were linked with health services databases to capture hospital admissions, emergency department (ED) presentations and ambulatory care (MBS) utilization and cost for the period 2008-2015. Healthcare cost determinants were estimated using logistic regression. Results: Among 1085 SSc patients, 48.6% experienced a DU over a mean follow-up of 5.2 ± 2.5 years. Those who developed DUs were more likely to have diffuse disease subtype (34.9% vs 18.2%, p < 0.001), anti-Scl-70 antibody (18.9% vs 9.3%, p < 0.001), and a younger age at SSc onset (43.6 ± 13.9 vs 48.8 ± 14.0 years, p < 0.001) in addition to reduced health-related quality of life (HRQoL) measured by the SF-36 but without a significant impact on survival. SSc patients with a history of a DU utilized significantly more healthcare resources per annum than those without a DU, including hospitalizations, ED presentation, and ambulatory care services. Total healthcare services, excluding medications, were associated with an annual excess cost per DU patient of AUD$12,474 (8574-25,677), p < 0.001, driven by hospital admission and ED presentation costs. Conclusion: DUs place a large burden on the patient and healthcare system through reduced HRQoL and increased healthcare resource utilization and associated cost.
KW - Digital ulceration
KW - Economic burden
KW - Scleroderma
KW - Systemic sclerosis
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85076951874&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1186/s13075-019-2080-y
DO - 10.1186/s13075-019-2080-y
M3 - Article
C2 - 31870459
AN - SCOPUS:85076951874
SN - 1478-6354
VL - 21
JO - Arthritis Research & Therapy
JF - Arthritis Research & Therapy
IS - 1
M1 - 299
ER -