Humanistic, Economic and Societal Burden of Herpes Zoster in Europe
2015
This review provides documentation and critical appraisal of published data concerning the humanistic, economic and societal burden of herpes zoster (HZ) in Europe. From a review of 1619 abstracts, 53 eligible articles, were identified which reported data concerning healthcare resource use (n = 38), direct costs (n = 20), indirect costs (n = 16), total costs (n = 10) and impact on health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (n = 21).
The findings indicate that postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is associated with greater impairments in HRQoL and higher costs of management than HZ. For both HZ and PHN, pain severity is a significant predictor of impact on individuals, healthcare systems and society. While the incidence of HZ and PHN increase with age, age is not a predictor overall costs: direct costs are higher for older patients and indirect costs are higher for younger patients. Of note, informal care costs and social care costs are not captured in this analysis, and may be substantial—leading to an underestimation of the true burden of disease.
Humanistic, Economic and Societal Burden of Herpes Zoster in Europe
Source:
Gater A, Uhart M, McCool R et al. The Humanistic, Economic and Societal Burden of Herpes Zoster in Europe: A Critical Review. BMC Public Health 2015; 15: 193. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-015-1514-y