Abstract / Summary
ABSTRACT Background Atopic dermatitis (AD) imposes a significant economic burden for individuals as well as society through both direct healthcare costs and indirect expenses such as productivity loss and foregone income. Evidence on the economic burden of AD based on national‐level data is scarce. Objectives To quantify the individual and societal economic burden of atopic dermatitis in Denmark using nationwide, registry‐based data. Methods All Danish adults (≥ 18 years) consistently treated with topical corticosteroids or with secondary care diagnoses of AD between 2002 and 2020 were identified in Danish national registries. Annual excess expenditure related to healthcare, welfare transfers and foregone income was retrieved from official registries and compared with an up to 1:4 age, sex, cohabitation and residence‐matched comparator population. Results The cohort included 754,624 adults with AD. The predicted annual excess cost per individual with AD was estimated to €2172 (2165–2178) of which 73% (€1590) was attributable to foregone income and 27% (€583) to direct healthcare expenditures. Individuals with AD in the working age (ages 18–64) received €778 more in welfare transfers annually, offsetting most of the income disparity between cases and comparators. At a societal level, the pooled crude mean annual excess cost for all individuals with AD in Denmark was estimated to €2,038,289,513. Limitations Due to the inclusion criteria relying partly on treatment with topical corticosteroids, patients with other forms of dermatoses than AD might have been included, even though relevant exclusion criteria were applied. Furthermore, our registry‐based study design does not allow us to capture out‐of‐pocket costs. Conclusions Atopic dermatitis is associated with substantial individual and societal costs, mainly stemming from indirect costs. Increased welfare transfers offset some of the wage gap between individuals with AD and comparators, but do not eliminate the disparity completely even in the setting of a comprehensive welfare system.