OBJECTIVES: Sport related injuries are of public health importance and generates a considerable economic burden. The aim of our study was to calculate the annual health insurance treatment cost of dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of knee 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 dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of knee were identified with the following codes of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: S83.

RESULTS: The number of patient underwent outpatient care was 95,215 (44.3% women and 55.7% men) with a mean age of 36.56 years (women: 39.03 years; men: 34.59 years). Number of patients admitted to in-patient hospital care was 5,748 (35.5% women and 64.5% men) with a mean age of 35.51 years (women: 38.20 years; men: 34.03 years). For the treatment of patients with dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of knee in 2016 the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration spent 1.348 billion Hungarian Forint (HUF) which equals 4.789 million American Dollars (USD) or 5.192 million Japanese Yen (JPY). Major cost drivers were acute inpatient care (68.1% of total health insurance costs), out-patient care (26.4%) and medical imaging (3.5%).

CONCLUSIONS: Dislocation and sprain of joints and ligaments of knee represents a significant burden for the Hungarian health insurance system. The disease is more common in men (55-64%) than women. There is a significant difference (4 years) in the onset of the disease between women and men.