Estimation of Total Incremental Health Care Costs in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation in the United States

TLDR: A retrospective, observational cohort study using administrative claims from the MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental research data bases to provide an up-to-date estimate of the national cost of atrial fibrillation, finding the national incremental AF cost to range from $6.0 to $26.0 billion.

Abstract: Background—Detailed information on the cost burden of atrial fibrillation (AF) is limited. To provide an up-to-date estimate of the national cost of AF, we conducted a retrospective, observational cohort study using administrative claims from the MarketScan Commercial and Medicare Supplemental research data bases, 2004 to 2006. Methods and Results—Patients aged ≥20 years with ≥1 inpatient or ≥2 outpatient AF diagnoses in 2005 (first diagnosis=index) and ≥12 months' enrollment before and after index were selected. AF patients were propensity score–matched (1:1) with non-AF control subjects. Medical costs (2008 US$), including AF costs, other cardiovascular, and noncardiovascular costs, were examined over 1 year after index. National incremental costs of AF were based on age-/sex-specific AF prevalence projections for 2010. In total, 89 066 AF patients were matched to non-AF control subjects. Over 1 year, 37.5% of AF versus 17.5% of control subjects were hospitalized and 2.1% versus 0.1% died during hospita...