Economic Burden of Rheumatoid Arthritis in Iran: A Societal Perspective

TL;DR

This study found that rheumatoid arthritis in Iran costs about $6,388 per patient annually, with medications being the main expense.

Contribution

The study provides the first detailed economic burden analysis of rheumatoid arthritis in Iran from a societal perspective.

Findings

The annual economic burden of RA in Iran was $6388.64 per patient in 2022.

Biologic drugs accounted for 84% of the costs, with moderate-to-severe cases costing 8% more than remission cases.

Direct medical costs, especially medications, were the largest component of the economic burden.

Abstract

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a progressive and chronic systemic inflammatory disease and imposes a significant economic burden on patients and societies if not controlled. This study aimed to determine the economic burden of RA in Iran in 2022.

This economic burden study was carried out as cross‐sectional research in 2022, in which 765 patients referred to the medical centers affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Fars province were included through census. The prevalence‐based and bottom‐up approaches were also used, respectively, to prepare the cost information and calculate the costs from the societal perspective. The human capital approach was used to calculate the indirect costs as well. The Excel 2016 software was used for data analysis.

The results showed that the economic burden of RA in Iran was $6388.64 per patient‐year in 2022. In addition, the mean annual costs of RA per patient in remission, low, and moderate‐to‐severe states were, respectively, $6268.24, $6248.00, and $6729.43 in 2022.

RA imposed a significant economic burden on the community and patients, and direct medical costs (DMCs), especially the cost of medicines, were the most important component. It is suggested to provide necessary facilities to produce RA medicines in the country and expand the home care services in order to reduce the economic burden.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

This 2022 cross‐sectional study of 765 RA patients in Southern Iran revealed an annual economic burden of $6388 per patient, with biologic drugs dominating costs (84%). Moderate‐to‐severe cases cost 8% more than remission ($6729 vs. $6248). Findings highlight the urgent need for local drug production and expanded home care services to alleviate this significant financial burden on patients and healthcare systems.

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