ECONOMIC BURDEN ASSOCIATED WITH SJÖGREN’S DISEASE (SJD): A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW (SLR)
Author(s)
Thomas Grader-Beck, MD1, Dana DiRenzo, MD, MHS2, Anjana Lalla, MS3, Shweta Takyar, MPharm4, Vinay Pandey, M Pharm4, Cindy Chan, PharmD3, Antton Egana, MD3;
1Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Baltimore, MD, USA, 2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 3Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, USA, 4Novartis Healthcare Private Ltd., Hyderabad, India
1Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, Baltimore, MD, USA, 2University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA, 3Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, East Hanover, NJ, USA, 4Novartis Healthcare Private Ltd., Hyderabad, India
OBJECTIVES: This SLR identified published evidence on the global economic burden of SjD, including direct/indirect costs and health care resource use (HCRU), focusing on the costs of SjD vs non-SjD controls and identifying determinants of negative impact.
METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, Embase and MEDLINE® databases were searched from January 2012-January 2025 to identify relevant studies. Conference proceedings (last 3 years) and bibliography searches supplemented the results.
RESULTS: Of the 70 identified studies (North America, n=31; Europe, n=21; APAC, n=8; other, n=8; multinational, n=2), 44 reported HCRU only, 5 reported costs only, and 21 reported both. Only 3 studies reported indirect costs (North America, n=2; China, n=1). Several studies (n=10) reported economic burden of SjD vs non-SjD controls (direct costs, n=4, HCRU, n=9, indirect costs, n=1, and productivity, n=4). Patients with SjD reported 1.6-3.2 times higher direct medical costs and 1.1-2.6 times greater HCRU vs healthy controls. Most studies reported outpatient/office visits as the primary cost driver, mostly attributable to rheumatologist visits. Risk factors associated with higher economic costs were associated SjD (SjD + autoimmune conditions; 1.5 times higher) vs primary SjD (SjD alone), extraglandular/systemic disease (2.9 times higher) vs glandular disease, interstitial lung disease (ILD; 2.5 times higher) vs no ILD, renal disease (2.2 times higher) vs no renal disease, moderate/severe disease activity (1.7 times higher) vs mild, and longer time since diagnosis. Studies reporting dental costs (n=1) and productivity burden/indirect costs (n=4) each found higher costs for SjD patients vs non-SjD controls.
CONCLUSIONS: The limited existing evidence demonstrates a significant economic burden for patients with SjD. Scarce evidence capturing indirect costs and the SjD characteristics associated with higher costs underestimates the true burden for the SjD patient population. It highlights the need for effective treatments beyond currently available symptomatic treatments to manage and effectively reduce economic impacts.
METHODS: Following PRISMA guidelines, Embase and MEDLINE® databases were searched from January 2012-January 2025 to identify relevant studies. Conference proceedings (last 3 years) and bibliography searches supplemented the results.
RESULTS: Of the 70 identified studies (North America, n=31; Europe, n=21; APAC, n=8; other, n=8; multinational, n=2), 44 reported HCRU only, 5 reported costs only, and 21 reported both. Only 3 studies reported indirect costs (North America, n=2; China, n=1). Several studies (n=10) reported economic burden of SjD vs non-SjD controls (direct costs, n=4, HCRU, n=9, indirect costs, n=1, and productivity, n=4). Patients with SjD reported 1.6-3.2 times higher direct medical costs and 1.1-2.6 times greater HCRU vs healthy controls. Most studies reported outpatient/office visits as the primary cost driver, mostly attributable to rheumatologist visits. Risk factors associated with higher economic costs were associated SjD (SjD + autoimmune conditions; 1.5 times higher) vs primary SjD (SjD alone), extraglandular/systemic disease (2.9 times higher) vs glandular disease, interstitial lung disease (ILD; 2.5 times higher) vs no ILD, renal disease (2.2 times higher) vs no renal disease, moderate/severe disease activity (1.7 times higher) vs mild, and longer time since diagnosis. Studies reporting dental costs (n=1) and productivity burden/indirect costs (n=4) each found higher costs for SjD patients vs non-SjD controls.
CONCLUSIONS: The limited existing evidence demonstrates a significant economic burden for patients with SjD. Scarce evidence capturing indirect costs and the SjD characteristics associated with higher costs underestimates the true burden for the SjD patient population. It highlights the need for effective treatments beyond currently available symptomatic treatments to manage and effectively reduce economic impacts.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-05, ISPOR 2026, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue S6
Code
EE297
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
SDC: Systemic Disorders/Conditions (Anesthesia, Auto-Immune Disorders (n.e.c.), Hematological Disorders (non-oncologic), Pain)