OBJECTIVES : Endometriosis is a well-known condition affecting around 180 million women worldwide. It is often difficult to diagnose; it causes a significant burden for the individual and the society and may lead to infertility. Our aim was to determine the annual health insurance treatment cost of endometriosis in Hungary.

METHODS : Data were derived from the financial database of the NHIFA, for the year 2018. Data analysed included annual health insurance costs, patient numbers and cost distribution calculated for age groups and sex. The following cost categories were included into the study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, pharmaceuticals and medical aids. Patients with endometriosis were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: N80.

RESULTS : In 2018, the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration spent 724.99 million Hungarian Forints (HUF) on the treatment of patients with endometriosis, which equals 2.68 million American Dollars (USD), or 2.27 million Euros (EUR). 99.8% of costs was spent on the treatment of female patients. The highest patient numbers were in outpatient care: 7,466 patients. Acute inpatient care (47.1% of total health insurance costs), pharmaceuticals (40.6%) and outpatient care (4.9%) were the main cost drivers, while all other forms of medical care amounted to 7.4%. Annual health care treatment cost per patient was 96,932 HUF (359 USD/304 EUR) for women.

CONCLUSIONS : Acute inpatient care was the major cost driver in the treatment of endometriosis primarily, due to the surgical interventions often required for its treatment. The treatment of patients aged 25-44 accounted for 86.4% of costs.