OBJECTIVES: Huntington’s disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disorder manifested by a triad of motor, cognitive, and behavioral signs and symptoms. Data on healthcare costs and resource utilization among HD patients in Israel, which are needed by decision-makers to quantify the burden of disease, are scarce. This analysis assessed healthcare resource utilization and economic burden of HD patients in Israel.

METHODS: This retrospective analysis of HD patients versus non-HD patients used a national health plan database (Maccabi Healthcare Services), which represents 25% of the Israeli population. The study included adult members alive between 2013-2018 with HD diagnosis (ICD-9: 333.4) based on either: neurologist diagnosis, hospital-discharge report, medicine preauthorization or “chronic patient” diagnosis, or ≥2 HD diagnoses by any other healthcare professional, any time prior to 2019 with a minimum of 1-year enrollment prior to diagnosis. Non-HD patients (control cohort) were matched to HD patients (3:1) by birth year and sex. 2018 annual healthcare resource utilization and costs were assessed, including inpatient and outpatient visits and medications.

RESULTS: 81 HD patients and 243 matched non-HD patients were included in the analysis. Over the 1-year follow-up, HD patients had significantly more neurologist, psychiatrist, physiotherapist, and speech-therapist visits compared to non-HD patients (p<0.05) and more hospitalization days (p<0.001). Total annual healthcare cost per patient was significantly higher in the HD population ($7343) compared to the non-HD population ($3625; p<0.001). Inpatient and outpatient costs were significantly higher in the HD population, while medication costs were similar between groups.

CONCLUSIONS: HD patients have greater annual healthcare resource utilization and, as a result, higher medical cost than non-HD patients in Israel. Understanding real-world healthcare resource utilization and costs allows clinicians and decision-makers to better quantify the burden of HD in Israel.