COST ASSESSMENT IN PATIENTS WITH HIV/AIDS

The economic burden of human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is far greater than its direct medical costs. This study estimated annual indirect costs of the HIV/AIDS epidemic in Islamic Republic of Iran in 2006-2007 from societal perspective. A patient cost diary in sets of six booklets covering a total of 6 months (from October 2006 and fallowed until March 2007) was developed in order to estimate total indirect resource use. Service costs for HIVinfected individuals were indexed to 2006-2007 prices. Annual indirect costs, consisting of the costs of informal services, lost economic productivity, and other non-medical expenses such as transportation expenditures due to HIV/AIDS illness and treatment were included. Lost production was valued using Human Capital Approach. This study included sixty known and detected HIV positive persons and patients younger than retirement age who had record in HIV Consultant Center of Imam Khomeini Hospital. Annual patient-based indirect costs of HIV/AIDS were US $ 616.00 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 401.49-830.43), and indirect costs of HIV/AIDS for each person were nearly sixty percent of direct costs in the same year. Also, annual population-based indirect costs of HIV/AIDS in detected cases were US $ 8,440,000 (95% CI: 5,501,000–11,379,000) and in total estimated cases were US $ 40,653,000 (95% CI: 26,498,000-54,809,000). As indirect costs have significant portion in total costs of disease, both direct and indirect costs, when obtainable, should be used to assess the economic consequences of HIV infection and treatment interventions.