Costs and economic impact of four autoimmune diseases in a cohort of Colombian patients

The present project aims to estimate the costs and economic impact of four autoimmune diseases (AIDs) [Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren's Syndrome (SS) and Multiple Sclerosis (MS)] in a cohort of Colombian patients. These diseases are associated with a significant negative impact in terms of quality of life, work productivity and costs for society and health systems. The above has been extensively evaluated in industrialized countries, however these nations present socio-economic characteristics different from ours. In Colombia, estimates of the costs generated by diseases are not routinely made. In the field of AEI, there are few studies in this regard in our country, which makes it necessary to pursue more initiatives to address this issue. Estimating the cost of diseases, as well as their relationship with demographic, clinical and health system components, provides an overview of their economic impact and provides a starting point for additional epidemiological and economic analyses. Cost-of-illness analysis (CBA) is a methodology that estimates the global costs of a pathology for society or one of its components, which is frequently used by organizations such as the World Bank or the World Health Organization. The study group will be obtained from a sample of a cohort of Colombian patients, which will be made up of at least 100 patients who meet the research criteria for each of the pathologies under study. Within the economic impact study, the following aspects will be evaluated: direct costs, indirect costs, intangible costs, quality of life, disability and determinants of higher cost. Information on resource consumption and employment status will be collected through a cost questionnaire based on specialized literature and previous experience in ACE [Cost Questionnaire in Autoimmune Diseases (CEAI)]. Quality of life will be studied with the SF-36 health questionnaire and disability with the Health Assessment Disability Index (HAQ-DI) questionnaire. The costs of the different health services will be obtained by consulting public and private cost sources. Direct costs will be estimated using the bottom-up methodology. Indirect costs will be estimated using the human capital method and intangible costs will be evaluated by calculating Quality Adjusted Life Years (QALYs). This research is expected to provide a better understanding of the economic impact of these diseases in Colombia. The results will be disseminated in congresses and communiqués aimed at patients, the scientific community, physicians, economists and policy makers. Two or more publications in international journals that contribute to national and global scientific growth are sought. Additionally, we seek to show the importance and necessity of health economics in our country.