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The following is a summary of “Economic Burden and Health Care Resource Utilization of Patients With Eosinophilic Esophagitis in the United States,” published in the April 2025 issue of Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology by Chehade et al. 

The prevalence of eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) in the US has increased in recent years and evaluating healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) and costs helps understand its economic burden.  

Researchers conducted a retrospective study to estimate HCRU and costs among patients with EoE in the US.  

They identified patients with EoE from IQVIA’s PharMetrics Plus claims database and matched them with non-EoE controls. The index date was aimlessly picked as the EoE diagnosis date (January 2018 to June 2019) for the EoE cohort and a random date for controls. Patients had 1-year continuous enrollment before and after the index date, with at least 1 EoE diagnostic claim prior. Descriptive and regression analyses modified for comorbidities unrelated to EoE were executed to compare HCRU and costs between EoE and non-EoE groups, 1 year after the index date.  

The results showed that the analysis included 15,432 patients with EoE and matched non-EoE controls (mean age: 36.2 years). Patients with EoE had significantly higher annual HCRU compared to non-EoE controls [mean difference (MD): 9.2 days; 95% CI: 8.8–9.6], with constant findings across age groups. The mean annual healthcare costs were approximately 2.5 times higher for patients with EoE than for controls. Patients with EoE who underwent esophageal dilation had greater HCRU (emergency room visit: MD: 0.9 days; 95% CI: 0.8–1.0) and more elevated total healthcare costs (MD: $10,174; 95% CI: $8493–$11,855) compared to non-EoE controls.  

Investigators concluded that patients with EoE incurred higher annual costs and HCRU compared to non-EoE controls, signifying a considerable economic burden, especially for patients with EoE with a history of esophageal dilation. 

Source: journals.lww.com/jcge/fulltext/9900/economic_burden_and_health_care_resource.442.aspx