[Cost-of-illness study of pneumococcal disease in Italian children].

Streptococcus pneumoniae (S pneumoniae, or pneumococcus) is a leading cause of illness in children, and causes illness and death among the elderly and persons with certain underlying conditions. A Cost-of-Illness (COI) estimate for each pneumococcal disease (meningitis, bacteremia, pneumonia, and otitis media) was determined using decision tree analysis that considered both direct and indirect costs. Information on the burden of pneumococcal disease in Italy, in terms of data on the incidence and seroprevalence of disease was collected from published and unpublished records, supplemented, and verified by Italian pediatric and infectious disease experts. The annual cost to society of caring for children with pneumococcal disease is estimated to be around 59,604,477 euro including both direct costs and indirect costs (productivity changes). Direct costs accounted for 39.9% of the total costs. The value of resources used to treat otitis media was 60.6% of the total direct costs; 31.9% was the value of resources for treating pneumonia; 6.5% for treating bacteremia; 1.0% for treating meningitis. A sensitivity analysis confirmed the robustness of the results.