Background: Invasive mucormycosis (IM) is a rare invasive fungal infection with a high mortality rate. However, data concerning the clinical and economic burden of IM are scarce.
Aim: To evaluate the direct treatment costs and additional expenditures of patients with IM.
Methods: A retrospective cost-of-illness analysis of cases with IM extracted from FungiScope - Global Registry for Emerging Fungal Infections, accessible through the epidemiological research platform www.ClinicalSurveys.net, was undertaken. Results of patients with IM were compared with those of matched patients with similar underlying conditions based on the German Diagnosis Related Group (G-DRG) coding.
Findings: Out of 46 patients with probable/proven IM, 31 (67%) patients were male and the median age was 53 years (range 11-88 years). Forty-two patients (92%) had haematological diseases as the most common risk factor. Analysis of cost factors identified antifungal treatment due to IM as the primary cost driver [€22,816, 95% confidence interval (CI) €15,036-32,346], with mean overall direct treatment costs of €53,261 (95% CI €39,660-68,825). Compared with matched patients, patients with IM were treated in hospital for 26.5 additional days (standard deviation 31.8 days; P < 0.001), resulting in mean additional costs of €32,991 (95% CI €21,558-46,613; P < 0.001). Probable IM, as well as absence of chemotherapy, surgical measures due to IM, and antifungal prophylaxis were associated with lower overall costs. Nineteen patients (41.3%) died during hospitalization.
Conclusion: This study demonstrates the considerable healthcare burden of IM. The choice of antifungal agent for treatment of IM had no impact on overall cost.
Keywords: Direct treatment costs; Hospital-acquired infection; Invasive fungal infection; Liposomal amphotericin B; Posaconazole.
Copyright © 2018 The Healthcare Infection Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.