Treatment patterns, complications, and direct medical costs associated with ankylosing spondylitis in Chinese urban patients: a retrospective claims dataset analysis.

AIM: To describe treatment pattern, complications, and direct medical costs associated with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) in Chinese urban patients.

METHODS

The 2013 China Health Insurance Research Association (CHIRA) urban insurance claims database was used to identify patients with AS. The identified patients were stratified by AS treatments for the comparisons of well established AS-related complications and direct medical costs. Conventional regression analyses adjusted the collected patient baseline characteristics to confirm the impact of treatments on complications and direct medical costs.

RESULTS

Of the identified 1299 patients with AS, 18.0% received non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID), 11.2% received immunosuppressant, 48.2% received NSAID plus immunosuppressant, 4.6% received biologic agents, and 17.9% received medications without indication for AS. Biologic group was associated with the lowest proportion of AS-related complications (8.3%) that was confirmed by multiple logistic regression analysis (odds ratio = 0.200, p = .017). The biologic group was also associated with highest direct medical costs (median: RMB = 14,539) that were confirmed by the multiple generalized linear model (coefficient = 1.644, p < .001).

CONCLUSIONS

Biologics were not commonly used for AS in Chinese patients likely due to their high cost. Future studies are needed to confirm the potential long-term clinical benefits associated biologic treatment for AS.