Humanistic and Economic Burden of Atopic Dermatitis for Adults and Adolescents in the Middle East and Africa Region.

Introduction: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic skin disease that poses a significant burden on both patients and the society. AD causes the highest loss in disability-adjusted life years compared with other skin diseases. This study aimed to estimate the economic and humanistic burden of AD in adults and adolescents in seven countries in the Middle East and Africa region (Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Algeria, South Africa, and United Arab Emirates).

Methods: We conducted a literature review to identify country-specific data on this disease. Subsequently, meetings were organized with experts from each country to complete the missing data. The data were aggregated and calculation models were created to estimate the value of the humanistic and economic burden of the disease in each country. Finally, we conducted meetings with local experts to validate the results, and the necessary adjustments were made.

Results: On average, a patient with AD loses 0.19 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) annually owing to this disease. The average annual healthcare cost per patient is highest in the United Arab Emirates, with an estimated value of US $3569 and a population-level indirect cost of US $112.5 million. The included countries allocated a range of 0.20-0.77% of their healthcare expenditure to AD-related healthcare services and technologies. The indirect cost of AD represents approximately 67% of the total disease cost and, on average, approximately 0.043% (range 0.022-0.059%) of the gross domestic product (GDP) of each country.

Conclusion: Although the humanistic and economic burdens differ from country to country, AD carries a significant socioeconomic burden in all countries. The quality of life is severely affected by the disease. If AD is controlled, the costs, especially indirect costs, could decrease and the disease burden could be alleviated significantly.