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DOI: 10.48087/BJMS.2026.130304
Authors: Melissa CHABANE1, Habiba FETATI1, Halima ROUABAH2, Souhila BOUATTAM1, Saîda Hanane ZITOUNI-NOURINE1, Fatma BOUDIA1 Houari TOUMI1
Affiliations: 1- Faculty of Medicine, Ahmed Benbella Oran 1 University – Algeria. 2- Faculty of Medicine, Ferhat Abbas, Setif University 1 – Algeria.
Abstract
Introduction: Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a rare disease. Its management requires significant human and material resources, increasing the economic burden on the healthcare system. The aim of this study was to evaluate the direct medical costs of managing IPF and its complications, mainly acute exacerbations, at the Hospital and University Establishment of November 1st, 1954 of Oran (EHUO) in Algeria. Patients/Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, retrospective study conducted over a five-year period involving patients with IPF hospitalized at the EHUO. The analyzed costs included direct medical costs. The time horizon encompassed the entire duration of patient hospitalization. Results: The study included 17 IPF patients, predominantly male (15 out of 17, or 88.23%), with a sex ratio (M/F) of 8.5 and a mean age of 68.41 ± 8.63 years. The average cost per patient increased from 394,034.11 DZD for the stable form to 1,185,332.74 DZD for the exacerbated form. The acute exacerbation stage was more costly, averaging 5,710,581.14 DZD per patient. More than three-quarters of expenditure was attributable to hospitalization costs. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that optimal management of IPF could reduce costs associated with hospitalizations during acute exacerbations, thereby limiting the economic burden of the disease.
Keywords: health economics, exacerbation, pharmaco-economics study, cost.