Healthcare Resource Consumption and Cost of Invasive Meningococcal Disease in France: A Study of the National Health Insurance Database

Introduction Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) is an uncommon but serious infectious disease. Its economic burden is known to be high but is poorly characterised. The objective of this study was to determine costs, as captured in the healthcare claims database, incurred by all patients hospitalised for IMD in France over a 6-year period. Methods This case-control study was performed using the French national public health insurance database (SNDS). Cases comprised all individuals hospitalised with acute IMD in France between 2012 and 2017 inclusive. For each case, three controls were identified, matched for age, gender and region of residence. All healthcare resource consumption by cases and controls during the follow-up period was documented. Costs were analysed for the index hospitalisation in cases, 1 year following the index date and then for 5 years following the index date. Costs were assigned from national tariffs. The analysis was performed from a societal perspective. IMD sequelae were identified from hospital discharge summaries. Results A total of 3532 cases and 10,590 controls were evaluated. The mean per capita cost of the index IMD hospitalisation was euro11,256, and increased with age and with the presence of sequelae. In the year following the index date, mean per capita direct medical costs were euro6564 in cases and euro2890 in controls. Annual costs were euro4254 in cases without sequelae, euro10,799 in cases with one sequela and euro20,096 in cases with more than one sequela. In the fifth year of follow-up, mean per capita costs were euro2646 in cases and euro1478 in controls. The excess cost in cases was principally due to the management of sequelae. Amputation, skin scarring and mental retardation generated per capita costs in excess of euro20,000 in the first year and in excess of euro10,000 for subsequent years. Conclusion The economic burden of IMD in France is high and, over the long-term, is driven by sequelae management.

Automated summary

In this study, the healthcare claims database in France was used to examine the costs incurred by patients hospitalized for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) over a 6-year period. The economic burden of IMD was found to be high, driven primarily by the long-term costs associated with managing sequelae.