In this paper we propose a more positive and useful reading of the cost disease. We present a case for refocussing the general attention from the characteristics of the cost disease (i.e. the widening production cost and price gap between the product of progressive and stagnant industries) to...

Homocyst(e)ine, a sulphur-containing amino acid, is an intermediate formed during the metabolism of the essential amino acid methionine. Biological and epidemiological evidence suggest that elevated plasma levels of homocyst(e)ine are a risk factor for atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease...

Objective: To assess the economic impact of two polychemotherapy regimens for patients with advanced ovarian cancer from the perspective of the Belgian health insurance and financing system. Design: An economic evaluation was integrated in an intergroup randomised controlled trial (EORTC 55931)...

Background and objective: Glycoprotein (GP) IIb/IIIa receptor inhibitors enhance thrombolysis in patients with acute coronary syndromes. This analysis evaluates the economic impact of abciximab, a GP IIb/IIIa inhibitor, as an adjunct to urokinase in peripheral artery occlusions of less than 6...

Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) infects upwards of four million people in the US each year, of which 20% require subsequent hospitalisation. Consequently, it is a large contributor to excessive healthcare resource consumption and cost. Since the aetiology of CAP is not identified in a...

Objective: To use the population attributable risk (PAR) to estimate the treatment costs resulting from nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-induced gastrointestinal (GI) morbidity. Design: Two case-control studies with the following outcomes: (i) the start of therapy with...

Clinical and economic factors that are important to consider when selecting anaesthesia for day-case surgery can differ from those for inpatient anaesthesia. Patients undergoing day-case surgery tend to be healthier and have shorter durations of surgery. They expect less anxiety before surgery,...

Objective: To estimate savings in the cost of caring for patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) during 6 months, 1 year and 2 years of treatment with rivastigmine. An intermediate objective was to estimate the relationship between disease progression and institutionalisation. Design and setting:...

Objective: To offer cost estimates of urinary incontinence (UI) in the general population based on prospectively collected data. Design: We analysed individual costs in a sample of women with UI who were identified in the framework of a cross-sectional study on the prevalence of UI in women aged...

Objective: To examine the medical costs and effectiveness of acute treatment with imipramine versus acute treatment plus 2 different maintenance therapies for panic disorder. Methods: A clinical decision model was constructed to estimate 18-month costs and outcomes associated with these...