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according to a new study.
The expected surge reflects the growing prevalence of MASLD and its associated conditions, emphasizing the necessity for a comprehensive approach to address this escalating public health issue, reported lead author K. Ally Memedovich, BHSc, of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and colleagues.
“The costs associated with the management of MASLD in Canada remain unknown but have been estimated as being very high,” the investigators wrote in Gastro Hep Advances. “Specifically, in one study from the United States, the healthcare costs and utilization of those with MASLD was nearly double that of patients without MASLD but with similar health status. This difference was largely due to increases in imaging, hospitalization, liver fibrosis assessment, laboratory tests, and outpatient visits.”
Although projections are available to estimate the future prevalence of MASLD in Canada, no models are available to predict the growing national economic burden, prompting the present study.
Memedovich and colleagues analyzed healthcare usage data from 6,358 patients diagnosed with MASLD disease in Calgary from 2018 to 2020. Using provincial administrative data, they calculated both liver-specific and total healthcare costs associated with different stages of liver fibrosis, ranging from F0/F1 (minimal fibrosis) to F4 (advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis).
The patients’ liver fibrosis stages were determined using liver stiffness measurements obtained through shear wave elastography. Average annual cost per patient was then calculated for each fibrosis stage by analyzing hospitalizations, ambulatory care, and physician claims data.
The annual average liver-specific cost per patient increased with severity of liver fibrosis; costs for patients with fibrosis stages F0/F1, F2, F3, and F4 were C$7.02, C$35.30, C$60.46, and C$72.55, respectively. By 2050, liver-specific healthcare costs are projected to increase by C$51 million, reaching C$136 million Canada-wide.
Total healthcare costs were markedly higher; annual costs for patients with fibrosis stages F0/F1, F2, F3, and F4 were C$397.90, C$781.53, C$2,881.84, and C$1,598.82, respectively. As a result, total healthcare costs are expected to rise by nearly C$2 billion, contributing to a Canadian healthcare burden of C$5.81 billion annually by 2050.
The study revealed that over 90% of the healthcare costs for MASLD patients were attributed not to liver disease itself but to the management of associated comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, mental illness, and obesity. For instance, diabetes was the most common reason for physician visits among MASLD patients, accounting for 65.2% of cases. One study limitation was exclusion of decompensated cirrhosis, liver cancer, or a liver transplant recipient because of low prevalence in this cohort, potentially contributing to low liver specific healthcare costs.
Memedovich and colleagues noted that chronic diseases account for approximately C$68 billion annually in direct healthcare costs in Canada, representing around 58% of total healthcare expenditures. Estimates suggest that 1% annual reduction in chronic disease prevalence could save C$107 billion over the course of 20 years.
“Therefore, an approach that focuses on preventing and managing chronic diseases overall is needed to reduce the burden of MASLD on the healthcare system,” they wrote. This study was funded by LiveRx via an Alberta Innovates grant. The investigators disclosed relationships with Gilead, Abbott, GSK, and others.
Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, and its clinical burden is expected to mirror the rising rates of obesity and diabetes over the next couple decades. The cost analysis by Memdovich and colleagues provides a timely report on the healthcare burden of MASLD in Canada. Their results are, nevertheless, generalizable to other healthcare systems.
The authors found that nearly 98% of total healthcare costs of patients with MASLD were not specifically related to liver treatment, but rather linked to the management of patients’ cardiometabolic comorbidities. Projection estimates based on this cohort suggests a steep rise in the total healthcare costs over the coming decades reflecting increasing rates of comorbidities, with largest changes expected in the advanced fibrosis patient group. These findings highlight the need for early recognition of MASLD followed by a collaborative effort in management of MASLD in conjunction with its associated cardiometabolic comorbidities.
As rates for obesity, diabetes, and MASLD continue to rise, there is an urgency to create a global strategy for MASLD management that focuses on both prevention and treatment. Public health strategies are needed to increase awareness and focus on the treatment and prevention cardiometabolic risk factors that appear to be the main drivers of healthcare costs among patients with MASLD. A concerted effort is needed from providers, both primary care and specialists, for early recognition and treatment of MASLD. Such a public health response combined with recent advent in pharmacotherapy for weight loss and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis may alter the projected costs and hopefully decrease the disease burden associated advanced MASLD.
Akshay Shetty, MD, is assistant professor of medicine and surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. He has no conflicts of interest to declare. Sammy Saab, MD, MPH, AGAF, is professor of medicine and surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is on the speakers bureau for AbbVie, Gilead, Eisai, Intercept, Ipsen, Salix, Mallinckrodt, and Takeda, and has been a consultant for Gilead, Ipsen, Mallinckrodt, Madrigal, and Orphalan.
Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, and its clinical burden is expected to mirror the rising rates of obesity and diabetes over the next couple decades. The cost analysis by Memdovich and colleagues provides a timely report on the healthcare burden of MASLD in Canada. Their results are, nevertheless, generalizable to other healthcare systems.
The authors found that nearly 98% of total healthcare costs of patients with MASLD were not specifically related to liver treatment, but rather linked to the management of patients’ cardiometabolic comorbidities. Projection estimates based on this cohort suggests a steep rise in the total healthcare costs over the coming decades reflecting increasing rates of comorbidities, with largest changes expected in the advanced fibrosis patient group. These findings highlight the need for early recognition of MASLD followed by a collaborative effort in management of MASLD in conjunction with its associated cardiometabolic comorbidities.
As rates for obesity, diabetes, and MASLD continue to rise, there is an urgency to create a global strategy for MASLD management that focuses on both prevention and treatment. Public health strategies are needed to increase awareness and focus on the treatment and prevention cardiometabolic risk factors that appear to be the main drivers of healthcare costs among patients with MASLD. A concerted effort is needed from providers, both primary care and specialists, for early recognition and treatment of MASLD. Such a public health response combined with recent advent in pharmacotherapy for weight loss and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis may alter the projected costs and hopefully decrease the disease burden associated advanced MASLD.
Akshay Shetty, MD, is assistant professor of medicine and surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. He has no conflicts of interest to declare. Sammy Saab, MD, MPH, AGAF, is professor of medicine and surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is on the speakers bureau for AbbVie, Gilead, Eisai, Intercept, Ipsen, Salix, Mallinckrodt, and Takeda, and has been a consultant for Gilead, Ipsen, Mallinckrodt, Madrigal, and Orphalan.
Metabolic dysfunction–associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is the most common chronic liver disease, and its clinical burden is expected to mirror the rising rates of obesity and diabetes over the next couple decades. The cost analysis by Memdovich and colleagues provides a timely report on the healthcare burden of MASLD in Canada. Their results are, nevertheless, generalizable to other healthcare systems.
The authors found that nearly 98% of total healthcare costs of patients with MASLD were not specifically related to liver treatment, but rather linked to the management of patients’ cardiometabolic comorbidities. Projection estimates based on this cohort suggests a steep rise in the total healthcare costs over the coming decades reflecting increasing rates of comorbidities, with largest changes expected in the advanced fibrosis patient group. These findings highlight the need for early recognition of MASLD followed by a collaborative effort in management of MASLD in conjunction with its associated cardiometabolic comorbidities.
As rates for obesity, diabetes, and MASLD continue to rise, there is an urgency to create a global strategy for MASLD management that focuses on both prevention and treatment. Public health strategies are needed to increase awareness and focus on the treatment and prevention cardiometabolic risk factors that appear to be the main drivers of healthcare costs among patients with MASLD. A concerted effort is needed from providers, both primary care and specialists, for early recognition and treatment of MASLD. Such a public health response combined with recent advent in pharmacotherapy for weight loss and metabolic dysfunction–associated steatohepatitis may alter the projected costs and hopefully decrease the disease burden associated advanced MASLD.
Akshay Shetty, MD, is assistant professor of medicine and surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco. He has no conflicts of interest to declare. Sammy Saab, MD, MPH, AGAF, is professor of medicine and surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. He is on the speakers bureau for AbbVie, Gilead, Eisai, Intercept, Ipsen, Salix, Mallinckrodt, and Takeda, and has been a consultant for Gilead, Ipsen, Mallinckrodt, Madrigal, and Orphalan.
according to a new study.
The expected surge reflects the growing prevalence of MASLD and its associated conditions, emphasizing the necessity for a comprehensive approach to address this escalating public health issue, reported lead author K. Ally Memedovich, BHSc, of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and colleagues.
“The costs associated with the management of MASLD in Canada remain unknown but have been estimated as being very high,” the investigators wrote in Gastro Hep Advances. “Specifically, in one study from the United States, the healthcare costs and utilization of those with MASLD was nearly double that of patients without MASLD but with similar health status. This difference was largely due to increases in imaging, hospitalization, liver fibrosis assessment, laboratory tests, and outpatient visits.”
Although projections are available to estimate the future prevalence of MASLD in Canada, no models are available to predict the growing national economic burden, prompting the present study.
Memedovich and colleagues analyzed healthcare usage data from 6,358 patients diagnosed with MASLD disease in Calgary from 2018 to 2020. Using provincial administrative data, they calculated both liver-specific and total healthcare costs associated with different stages of liver fibrosis, ranging from F0/F1 (minimal fibrosis) to F4 (advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis).
The patients’ liver fibrosis stages were determined using liver stiffness measurements obtained through shear wave elastography. Average annual cost per patient was then calculated for each fibrosis stage by analyzing hospitalizations, ambulatory care, and physician claims data.
The annual average liver-specific cost per patient increased with severity of liver fibrosis; costs for patients with fibrosis stages F0/F1, F2, F3, and F4 were C$7.02, C$35.30, C$60.46, and C$72.55, respectively. By 2050, liver-specific healthcare costs are projected to increase by C$51 million, reaching C$136 million Canada-wide.
Total healthcare costs were markedly higher; annual costs for patients with fibrosis stages F0/F1, F2, F3, and F4 were C$397.90, C$781.53, C$2,881.84, and C$1,598.82, respectively. As a result, total healthcare costs are expected to rise by nearly C$2 billion, contributing to a Canadian healthcare burden of C$5.81 billion annually by 2050.
The study revealed that over 90% of the healthcare costs for MASLD patients were attributed not to liver disease itself but to the management of associated comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, mental illness, and obesity. For instance, diabetes was the most common reason for physician visits among MASLD patients, accounting for 65.2% of cases. One study limitation was exclusion of decompensated cirrhosis, liver cancer, or a liver transplant recipient because of low prevalence in this cohort, potentially contributing to low liver specific healthcare costs.
Memedovich and colleagues noted that chronic diseases account for approximately C$68 billion annually in direct healthcare costs in Canada, representing around 58% of total healthcare expenditures. Estimates suggest that 1% annual reduction in chronic disease prevalence could save C$107 billion over the course of 20 years.
“Therefore, an approach that focuses on preventing and managing chronic diseases overall is needed to reduce the burden of MASLD on the healthcare system,” they wrote. This study was funded by LiveRx via an Alberta Innovates grant. The investigators disclosed relationships with Gilead, Abbott, GSK, and others.
according to a new study.
The expected surge reflects the growing prevalence of MASLD and its associated conditions, emphasizing the necessity for a comprehensive approach to address this escalating public health issue, reported lead author K. Ally Memedovich, BHSc, of the University of Calgary in Alberta, Canada, and colleagues.
“The costs associated with the management of MASLD in Canada remain unknown but have been estimated as being very high,” the investigators wrote in Gastro Hep Advances. “Specifically, in one study from the United States, the healthcare costs and utilization of those with MASLD was nearly double that of patients without MASLD but with similar health status. This difference was largely due to increases in imaging, hospitalization, liver fibrosis assessment, laboratory tests, and outpatient visits.”
Although projections are available to estimate the future prevalence of MASLD in Canada, no models are available to predict the growing national economic burden, prompting the present study.
Memedovich and colleagues analyzed healthcare usage data from 6,358 patients diagnosed with MASLD disease in Calgary from 2018 to 2020. Using provincial administrative data, they calculated both liver-specific and total healthcare costs associated with different stages of liver fibrosis, ranging from F0/F1 (minimal fibrosis) to F4 (advanced fibrosis or cirrhosis).
The patients’ liver fibrosis stages were determined using liver stiffness measurements obtained through shear wave elastography. Average annual cost per patient was then calculated for each fibrosis stage by analyzing hospitalizations, ambulatory care, and physician claims data.
The annual average liver-specific cost per patient increased with severity of liver fibrosis; costs for patients with fibrosis stages F0/F1, F2, F3, and F4 were C$7.02, C$35.30, C$60.46, and C$72.55, respectively. By 2050, liver-specific healthcare costs are projected to increase by C$51 million, reaching C$136 million Canada-wide.
Total healthcare costs were markedly higher; annual costs for patients with fibrosis stages F0/F1, F2, F3, and F4 were C$397.90, C$781.53, C$2,881.84, and C$1,598.82, respectively. As a result, total healthcare costs are expected to rise by nearly C$2 billion, contributing to a Canadian healthcare burden of C$5.81 billion annually by 2050.
The study revealed that over 90% of the healthcare costs for MASLD patients were attributed not to liver disease itself but to the management of associated comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, mental illness, and obesity. For instance, diabetes was the most common reason for physician visits among MASLD patients, accounting for 65.2% of cases. One study limitation was exclusion of decompensated cirrhosis, liver cancer, or a liver transplant recipient because of low prevalence in this cohort, potentially contributing to low liver specific healthcare costs.
Memedovich and colleagues noted that chronic diseases account for approximately C$68 billion annually in direct healthcare costs in Canada, representing around 58% of total healthcare expenditures. Estimates suggest that 1% annual reduction in chronic disease prevalence could save C$107 billion over the course of 20 years.
“Therefore, an approach that focuses on preventing and managing chronic diseases overall is needed to reduce the burden of MASLD on the healthcare system,” they wrote. This study was funded by LiveRx via an Alberta Innovates grant. The investigators disclosed relationships with Gilead, Abbott, GSK, and others.
FROM GASTRO HEP ADVANCES