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ABSTRACT: Background
Macular edema is the most common cause of vision loss among patients with diabetes.Objective
To determine the cost-effectiveness of different treatments of diabetic macular edema (DME).Design
Markov model.Data sources
Published literature and expert opinion.Target population
Patients with clinically significant DME.Time horizon
Lifetime.Perspective
Societal.Intervention
Laser treatment, intraocular injections of triamcinolone or a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) inhibitor, or a combination of both.Outcome measures
Discounted costs, gains in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs).Results of base-case analysis
All treatments except laser monotherapy substantially reduced costs, and all treatments except triamcinolone monotherapy increased QALYs. Laser treatment plus a VEGF inhibitor achieved the greatest benefit, gaining 0.56 QALYs at a cost of $6975 for an ICER of $12 410 per QALY compared with laser treatment plus triamcinolone. Monotherapy with a VEGF inhibitor achieved similar outcomes to combination therapy with laser treatment plus a VEGF inhibitor. Laser monotherapy and triamcinolone monotherapy were less effective and more costly than combination therapy.Results of sensitivity analysis
VEGF inhibitor monotherapy was sometimes preferred over laser treatment plus a VEGF inhibitor, depending on the reduction in quality of life with loss of visual acuity. When the VEGF inhibitor bevacizumab was as effective as ranibizumab, it was preferable because of its lower cost.Limitation
Long-term outcome data for treated and untreated diseases are limited.Conclusion
The most effective treatment of DME is VEGF inhibitor injections with or without laser treatment. This therapy compares favorably with cost-effective interventions for other conditions.Primary funding source
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
SUBMITTER: Pershing S
PROVIDER: S-EPMC4020006 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Jan
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
Pershing Suzann S Enns Eva A EA Matesic Brian B Owens Douglas K DK Goldhaber-Fiebert Jeremy D JD
Annals of internal medicine 20140101 1
<h4>Background</h4>Macular edema is the most common cause of vision loss among patients with diabetes.<h4>Objective</h4>To determine the cost-effectiveness of different treatments of diabetic macular edema (DME).<h4>Design</h4>Markov model.<h4>Data sources</h4>Published literature and expert opinion.<h4>Target population</h4>Patients with clinically significant DME.<h4>Time horizon</h4>Lifetime.<h4>Perspective</h4>Societal.<h4>Intervention</h4>Laser treatment, intraocular injections of triamcino ...[more]