Economic Burden of Atrial Fibrillation Disease in Iran

Abstract

Background: Cardiovascular disease is recognized as the leading cause of death worldwide and is one of the most serious health problems worldwide. The sixth leading cause of death from CVD is atrial fibrillation. Atrial fibrillation has a major impact on public health, especially due to the increased risk of stroke and hospitalization as a result of increased costs. Healthcare policymakers and planners need awareness of the cost of the disease to make decisions to allocate resources optimally. Methods: This cross-sectional study included 352 AF patients who were chosen at random from a specialist cardiovascular hospital in Iran. The cost of disease and human capital resources were used to calculate the direct and indirect costs of AF. To estimate direct and mortality costs, data were collected using a researcher-made checklist obtained from several sources, including structured interviews; the Statistical Center of Iran; Iran's Ministry of Cooperatives, Labor, and Social Welfare; the Central Bank of Iran; and data on global disease burden obtained from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. Iranian Rials (IRRs) were used to determine all expenditures. Results: Atrial fibrillation disease imposes a significant economic burden on the economic system of Iran (study case). The total direct medical cost was calculated to be 718,095,752 riyals for each patient. The average cost of lost time created per patient day due to atrial fibrillation was estimated to be 16,357,092,258 rials. Most of the medical costs were related to hoteling costs (34/30), and the lowest amount of medical costs was related to nursing service costs (5/84). The economic burden for each patient was 1,712,049,0993 riyals during the year, for a discount rate of 3%. The economic burden of AF disease in West Azerbaijan Province was 31,552,693,043,034,628rials, and in Iran, it was 1,326,045,072,463 x 10⁷ million. Conclusion: AF has significant economic costs for society. The best way to address these diseases and therefore reduce costs is to change and correct risk-taking behaviors that make a person harmless to those diseases. Healthcare policymakers and planners need awareness of these expenses to make decisions to allocate resources optimally. Therefore, policymakers should take this into account in national health policies and, depending on the country’s capabilities, provide facilities and services to prevent and address dangerous behaviors and treat these groups of diseases.