OBJECTIVES: Sport related injuries are of public health importance and generates a considerable health insurance burden. The aim of our study was to calculate the annual health insurance treatment cost of injuries of muscle, fascia and tendon at lower leg level in Hungary.

METHODS: The data were derived from the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), the only health care financing agency in Hungary. We analyzed the number of patients and the health insurance treatment cost for the year 2016. The following cost categories were included into the study: out-patient care, laboratory diagnostics, medical imaging, acute in-patient care, chronic in-patient care and drugs. Patients with injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at lower leg level were identified with the following codes of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: S86.

RESULTS: The number of patient underwent outpatient care was 12,218 (27.4% women and 72.6% men) with a mean age of 45.81 years (women: 47.33 years; men: 45.23 years). Number of patients admitted to in-patient hospital care was 1,139 (15.9% women and 84.1% men) with a mean age of 44.69 years (women: 48.28 years; men: 44.01 years). For the treatment of patients with injuries of muscle, fascia and tendon at lower leg level in 2016 the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration spent 213.8 million Hungarian Forint (HUF) which equals 0.759 million American Dollars (USD) or 0.823 million Japanese Yen (JPY). Major cost drivers were acute inpatient care (69.2% of total health insurance costs) and out-patient care (26.3%).

CONCLUSIONS: Injury of muscle, fascia and tendon at lower leg level represents a significant burden for the Hungarian health insurance system. The disease is more common in men (72-84%) than women. There is a significant difference (2-4 years) in the onset of the disease between women and men.