The Economic Burden of Hepatitis A, B, and C in South Korea.

This study was performed to estimate the economic costs of hepatitis A, B, and C virus and to determine the trends in Korea during 2008-2011 using nationally representative data. The prevalence of hepatitis A has decreased but hepatitis B and C increased overall. The mortality rate of hepatitis A was higher than others. The mortality rate of hepatitis B changed little but hepatitis C rose. The total cost of hepatitis A decreased (US$62.2 million to US$45.7 million), except in 2009 (US$126.6 million). The total cost of hepatitis B tended to increase rapidly during the same period (US$501.4 million to US$607.8 million). Finally, the total cost of hepatitis C increased (US$63.9 million to US$90.7 million). Direct costs of hepatitis A, B and C were estimated to account for approximately 35.5%, 46.6% and 58.0% of the total, respectively. These findings demonstrate the economic burden associated with hepatitis A, B, and C and emphasize the requirement for establishing an effective prevention and management policy for future planning in Korea. PMID: 25971325 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]
Source: Japanese Journal of Infectious Diseases - Category: Infectious Diseases Authors: Tags: Jpn J Infect Dis Source Type: research