OBJECTIVES: Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis (EGPA) is a rare disease associated with substantial disease burden. This retrospective observational cohort analysis quantified healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and associated costs using electronic health record databases in England.

METHODS: The patient identification period was 01 January 2006– 28 February 2019, with follow up until 28 February 2020. Primary care data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) Aurum database were linked to data from the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), which contains diagnoses, inpatient and outpatient visits, and procedures. Patients diagnosed with EGPA (index date [ID]), with ≥1 year of medical records, were identified from CPRD Aurum or HES records. HCRU and associated costs (using 2021/22 national schedules of NHS costs) were assessed in all diagnosed patients and by prognosis (1996 Five Factor Score [FFS] at diagnosis).

RESULTS: 486 patients with EGPA were identified, with a mean (standard deviation) follow-up period of 5.4 (3.7) years; 76.3% had FFS=0 at diagnosis. Annual all-cause HCRU was greater post-ID than in the 12 months prior for outpatient visits (97.5% vs 86.6%, respectively), A&E (77.6% vs 48.4%) and inpatient admissions (90.9% vs 59.3%). All-cause HCRU was generally higher in the first year post-ID than in subsequent years. The median length of stay for admissions ≥1 day was 5.0 days post-ID. Patients with FFS ≥1 had more outpatient visits, A&E and inpatient admissions than those with FFS=0, prior to ID. The annual all-cause costs of HCRU per patient were £6921.9 in the 12 months before ID and £14261.1 post-ID and were highest in patients with FFS ≥1 than with FFS=0 (£24051.0 vs £11226.4 post-ID).

CONCLUSIONS: Patients have a higher disease burden in terms of HCRU after EGPA diagnosis than before diagnosis, particularly those with a poor prognosis, highlighting the need for more effective targeted treatments to reduce clinical encounters.