Disease changes and cost analysis of myasthenia gravis: a 10 years retrospective study from a reference center in Italy.

OBJECTIVE

Objective study was the quantification of controlled/inadequately controlled generalized myasthenia gravis (gMG) disease burden, health care resource utilization and costs in MG patients, followed-up at a reference center for MG in Italy.

DESIGN AND

SETTING

The study is a 2010 to 2020 retrospective analysis of gMG patients. Clinical and health economics variables were those observed during routine clinical care. Data were anonymized and treated in aggregated forms in compliance with GDPR.

PARTICIPANTS

Only patients with gMG were included in the study.

RESULTS

Out of 237 patients, 55.3% were males and 44.7% females with a median follow up duration of 4.7 years. Males were older, with a median age at onset of 58.3 years versus 45.7 years for females; an increased representation of late and very late onset patients was recorded. A shorter time from onset to diagnosis was observed in males. The incidence rate per year of exacerbations changed from 0.76 in the first year to 0.23 at the sixth year, with a similar trend for MG crisis; both exacerbations and crisis incidence were higher in inadequately controlled patients. Disease burden and health care resources utilizations were particularly evident in inadequately controlled patients, which showed a 138% increase of costs.

CONCLUSIONS

Our data confirmed the observed epidemiological changes occurring in MG population and the high use of health care system resources in uncontrolled patients. The estimates obtained will provide a useful basis for assessing the impact of recently introduced targeted therapies on healthcare expenditure for MG.