Effect of respiratory tract infections on the costs of cystic fibrosis therapy

Abstract

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a severe progressive disease in which the control of respiratory infection determines the disease prognosis. Objective. To assess the impact of different respiratory tract infections on the costs of antibiotic therapy in children with CF, depending on their age. Patients and methods. Patients were divided into three groups (0–3 years, 4–10 years, and 11–18 years) for the costeffectiveness analysis; mean body weight was calculated for each group. Current regulatory documents were used to evaluate antibacterial therapy. The State Register of Medicines was used to calculate the costs of each drug. Results. We found that the highest costs were associated with inhaled antibiotics used for the eradication therapy in patients with P. aeruginosa and Achromobacter spp. infections (up to 1,152,000 RUB per year), chronic P. aeruginosa and Achromobacter spp. infections (up to 2,304,000 RUB per year), and infections caused by Burkholderia cepacia complex (up to 750,178 RUB per year). In case of intravenous antibiotics, the highest costs were associated with the treatment of infections caused by Burkholderia cepacia complex (up to 790,236 RUB per year). Conclusion. Patients with CF require regular microbiological monitoring to ensure timely detection of pathogenic microorganisms and respiratory tract infections. Early initiation of adequate antibacterial therapy in accordance with clinical guidelines is necessary to prevent chronic infections. Key words: antibacterial drugs, children, cystic fibrosis, therapy cost