HEALTHCARE RESOURCE UTILIZATION AND COSTS OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE IN SPAIN: A 10-YEAR POPULATION-BASED REAL-WORLD ANALYSIS OF TRENDS AND ECONOMIC BURDEN
Author(s)
Martí Blasco, MSc1, Daniel Bundó Luque, PhD2, Natalia Jiménez, BPharm1, Albert Dominguez Alonso, MD2, Oriol Cunillera, MD2, Betlem Salvador González, PhD2.
1Boehringer Ingelheim España, S.A., Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain, 2Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Sud-Penedès, Institut d’Investigació en Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol (IDIAPJGol), El Prat de Llobregat, Spain.
1Boehringer Ingelheim España, S.A., Sant Cugat del Vallès, Spain, 2Unitat de Suport a la Recerca Metropolitana Sud-Penedès, Institut d’Investigació en Atenció Primària de Salut Jordi Gol (IDIAPJGol), El Prat de Llobregat, Spain.
OBJECTIVES: To assess long-term trends in healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated direct and indirect costs of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Spain, and to identify key cost drivers from both healthcare system and societal perspectives.
METHODS: A retrospective, population-based cohort study was conducted using real-world data from the SIDIAP database in Catalonia. The study included 447,202 incident CKD patients between 2012 and 2022. HCRU and costs were estimated annually using a bottom-up, prevalence-based approach. Resource use included primary care visits, outpatient care, hospitalizations, pharmacological treatments, and kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Costs were evaluated from both payer and societal perspectives, incorporating direct healthcare costs and indirect costs (sick leave). Outcomes were expressed per 1,000 patient-years.
RESULTS: Over the study period, total CKD-related costs increased by 26% (2014-2021). Hospitalizations were the primary cost driver, consistently accounting for more than 50% of total costs. Outpatient visits and medications represented a substantial share of HCRU, although visit-related costs decreased proportionally over time. KRT-related costs increased markedly (+157%), mainly driven by dialysis. Indirect costs also rose significantly, with sick leave costs increasing by 110% during the study period.
CONCLUSIONS: CKD represents a growing economic burden in Spain, driven primarily by hospitalizations and advanced-stage disease management. These findings highlight the need for strategies focused on early detection, improved primary care management, and optimized outpatient treatment to delay disease progression and reduce reliance on costly hospital-based care.
METHODS: A retrospective, population-based cohort study was conducted using real-world data from the SIDIAP database in Catalonia. The study included 447,202 incident CKD patients between 2012 and 2022. HCRU and costs were estimated annually using a bottom-up, prevalence-based approach. Resource use included primary care visits, outpatient care, hospitalizations, pharmacological treatments, and kidney replacement therapy (KRT). Costs were evaluated from both payer and societal perspectives, incorporating direct healthcare costs and indirect costs (sick leave). Outcomes were expressed per 1,000 patient-years.
RESULTS: Over the study period, total CKD-related costs increased by 26% (2014-2021). Hospitalizations were the primary cost driver, consistently accounting for more than 50% of total costs. Outpatient visits and medications represented a substantial share of HCRU, although visit-related costs decreased proportionally over time. KRT-related costs increased markedly (+157%), mainly driven by dialysis. Indirect costs also rose significantly, with sick leave costs increasing by 110% during the study period.
CONCLUSIONS: CKD represents a growing economic burden in Spain, driven primarily by hospitalizations and advanced-stage disease management. These findings highlight the need for strategies focused on early detection, improved primary care management, and optimized outpatient treatment to delay disease progression and reduce reliance on costly hospital-based care.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE436
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Urinary/Kidney Disorders