Análise de custos da doença renal crônica nos estágios 3 a 5 pré-dialítico para o Sistema Único de Saúde

Abstract

Introduction: In an ideal world, economics and health are words that would hardly ever be found in the same sentence, since health is often referred as a good which is impossible to atribute price. Based on the high number of prevalence and incidence of the Chronic Kidney Disease, mainly its pre-dialysis stage, the disease with all its social and economic implications has become one of the biggest challenges for public health. Avaiable data about the CKD are concentrated mainly on the dialysis modality. Today, due to the relevance of CKD to the society and the health system, it can be seen that there is a great need of changing the focus into the consequences of CKD before the End-stage Kidney Disease (ESRD). Materials and methods: The research is a retrospective cohorte study of direct medical costs of CKD from stage 3 to 5 pre-dialysis in a population of patients attended by the general nephrology clinic of the Centro de Atenção a Saúde do Hospital Universitário (CAS/HU) of the Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora over a follow-up period of 6 months or more. The period of study was 3 years and 6 months, including patients admimitted from January 2008 to July 2011. The population was an open cohorte. The perspective adopted is the one from the Sistema Único de Saúde as a purchasing agency of services. The estimated values are up to date to 2012. Results: The database includes 68 patients, being 50% male and 50% female. The average age of the patients in the first consultation is between 44 and 61 years old. The mean follow-up time of the patients is 15 months. The weighted average cost of medical consultation is R$4,41 patient/month with an average of 0.44 visits patient/month. The weighted average cost of medication is R$ 12,00 patient/month, with an average of 1.21 drugs patient/month. The weighted average cost of examination is 7.53 patients/month with an average of 0.35 blood tests patient/month and 0.18 urinalyses patient/month. The total cost of patients with CKD stages 3 to 5 pre-dialysis is R$ 23.96 patient/month and R$ 287,52 patient/year.Conclusion: The cost of CKD increases with its progression through the stages. The cost of treatment of CKD stages 3 to 5 pre-dialysis is well below the costs of treating ESRD when compared with the two main types of dialysis. Among the estimated direct medical costs, medication represented the largest cost, being erythropoietin the higher cost due to unit value and dosage of the drug. The second most representative cost was the examination, being the renal ultrasound examination the more expensive, because due to the average values of ultrasound examinations of the urinary tract and total abdominal ultrasonography. Medical consultation was the third largest cost. This study, as it allows the identification and mapping of costs, can assist in choosing the most effective interventions for a lower cost and add elements to change and improve the health policies of CKD as well, increasing the efficiency and the effectiveness of services and quality of health care provided to renal patients.