OBJECTIVES: Thyroid eye disease (TED) is a rare progressive autoimmune disease of the orbit that significantly impacts patients’ daily functions and quality of life. Due to the scarcity of data, this study aimed to determine the economic burden of TED in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

METHODS: A cost of illness study was conducted using a prevalence-based approach, over 5 years’ time horizon. Estimated prevalence, medical resources, and costs were sourced from local experts across six tertiary hospitals, medical databases, and national drugs tender lists. Costing was performed from public healthcare payer and societal perspectives, included direct and indirect costs, through a bottom-up approach. Direct medical costs quantified resource utilization of clinic visits, medications, diagnostic tests, and surgical interventions, whereas indirect costs estimated absenteeism and loss of productivity.

RESULTS: The prevalence of TED was estimated to be 6,881 patients in KSA. Identified 514 patients out of the total TED prevalence rate was moderate to severe cases. The average annual cost per patient differed based on disease activity and severity. The average annual costs per patient with mild disease states were the lowest at SAR 53,276 and SAR 45,954 for active and inactive disease states, respectively. Over 5 years, SAR 433,154 and SAR 690,635 were the average estimated costs per patient with several disease states transition among mild and moderate to severe (active and inactive) disease states. Indirect costs were accounted for 45.6% - 47% of the overall cost with moderate-severe diseases. By extrapolating costs based on prevalence rate of moderate to severe cases, the overall projected costs were between SAR 222.6 million and SAR 354.9 million over 5 years.

CONCLUSIONS: TED imposes significant economic burdens in KSA. These results illustrate the debilitating nature of this disease and emphasize the importance of improved strategies for the management of TED.