OBJECTIVES: AD is a chronic inflammatory skin condition with relapsing episodes of flares. AD affects patient engagement with life on a daily basis, that results in reduced patient QoL. The analysis aimed to estimate the social costs and health losses associated with AD in Bulgaria.

METHODS: The burden of disease and cost of illness were estimated using a prevalence-based approach. The analysis covers all direct and indirect costs. Direct costs include mainly medical costs for local treatment of AD, follow-up costs by a specialist, hospitalization costs and daily necessities costs. The analysis calculates the lost ability to work of caregivers of children with AD aged 2-13 years. The severity of the disease is expressed in terms of the unit of life adjusted for Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALY). The main sources of information were hospitals database; expert opinions; data from specialized clinical trials for patients with AD; medicine consumption and price data.

RESULTS: The evaluation of the costs of AD shows that the economic severity of the disease amounts to a total of 1,670,461,884.98 BGN, of which those for drug therapy and medical care (direct costs) are 1,366,696,645.72 BGN, and the indirect costs related to the loss of productivity are 303,765,239.25 BGN

CONCLUSIONS: The analysis shows that the greatest economic burden is generated by the treatment and follow-up of the disease in the paediatric population. According to experts, in 2050, every second child in the industrialized world will be born with a predisposition to atopic dermatitis