Costs of Chronic Kidney Failure and Diabetic Nephropathy in Turkiye

OBJECTIVES: The prevalences of chronic kidney failure (CKF) in Turkiye is 15.7%, and diabetic nephropathy (DN) is 3.23%. The aim of this study is to calculate the costs of CKF and DN according to the stages in Turkiye.

METHODS: Information on the number of CKF and DN patients in Turkiye and their distribution according to stages was obtained from Turkish epidemiological studies and the registry system of the Turkish Nephrology Society. For the cost calculations of the study, the costs of hemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis, and kidney transplantation for stage-five were taken from published cost of illness studies for Turkiye. The cost differences between the stages were compiled from the literature, and the costs of the other stages were calculated according to the rates found. The costs of patients with DN were calculated by multiplying the costs calculated according to the stages and the ratio of the diabetic patients to the overall cost with the payer’s perspective.

RESULTS: As a result of the analyses, the annual cost per patient at any stage in Turkiye was found to be 66,362 TL for CKF and 82,327 TL for DN. The annual costs per patient according to the stages in CKF patients are as follows: the first-stage, 49,760 TL; the second-stage, 57,533 TL; the third-stage, 80,490 TL; the fourth-stage, 137,872 TL; and finally, the fifth-stage, 304,926 TL. On the other hand, the annual costs per patient according to stages in DN patients are as follows: the first-stage, 57,207 TL; the second-stage, 66,144 TL; the third-stage, 92,537 TL; the fourth-stage, 158,508 TL; and the fifth-stage, 350,565 TL.

CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study show that the costs of stage-five CKF and DN are quite high in Turkiye. It is very important, from a clinical and economic point of view, to control the treatment before the patients reach stage-five.