Costs of atrial fibrillation in five European countries:: results from the Euro Heart Survey on atrial fibrillation

Aims To estimate costs of admission and costs incurred on an annual basis by patients with atrial, fibrillation (AF) in Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands. Methods and results The Euro Heart Survey on AF enrolled 5333 patients with AF in 35 European countries in 2003 and 2004. This was a bottom-up cost study conducted for the five largest contributors in terms of patients enrolled. Quantities of resource use during the enrolment admission and during 1-year follow-up were inferred from survey data and multiplied by national unit costs in order to estimate per patient costs associated with AF for each country Mean costs of inpatient admission of an AF patient were estimated at is an element of 1363, is an element of 5252, is an element of 2322, is an element of 6360, and is an element of 6445 and mean costs incurred on an annual basis at is an element of 1507, is an element of 3225, is an element of 1010, is an element of 2315, and is an element of 2328 in Greece, Italy, Poland, Spain, and the Netherlands, respectively. Inpatient care and interventional procedures were identified as the main drivers of costs, accounting for more than 70% of total annual costs in all five countries. Conclusion Estimates of the economic burden posed by AF are critical in light of the increasing importance of AF as a public health problem.