How much for a broken heart? Costs of cardiovascular disease in Colombia using a person-based approach

PLoS One. 2018 Dec 19;13(12):e0208513. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208513. eCollection 2018.

Abstract

The shift of the Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) epidemic, including cardiovascular disease, from developed to Low and Middle Income Countries (LMIC), creates new challenges in contexts where there is poor information on healthcare costs. Clearly this information is essential for planning, and its relevance is even more valuable as a driver for prevention and control of NCDs. This paper begins to address that handicap by estimating the healthcare cost of Cardiovascular Disease (Coronary Heart Disease and Stroke) in Colombia, using a person-based approach. Results show that the annual healthcare cost of a person with Coronary Heart Disease is between INT$ 4,277 and INT$ 4,846, while the cost for a person with Stroke varies between INT$5,816 and INT$6,616. The expansion of the NCDs epidemic combined with such high costs threatens the financial sustainability of health systems; primary prevention and policies targeting structural and intermediate determinants of health are a promising way to make health systems financially sustainable.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Access to Information
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / economics*
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Cardiovascular Diseases / psychology
  • Colombia / epidemiology
  • Cost of Illness*
  • Female
  • Health Care Costs / statistics & numerical data
  • Health Expenditures / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Insurance, Health / economics
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Prevalence
  • Young Adult

Grants and funding

The study was funded with a grant from the Fondo Ciencia Tecnología e Innovación del Sistema General de Regalías (National Fund for Science, Technology and Innovation, from the national system of royalties) BPIN project # 2015000100017.