Hospital Associated Cost of Endometriosis in Canada: A Population-Based Study

Abstract Study Objective To describe the hospital associated cost of endometriosis in Canada for April 2008 to March 2013. Design Population-based descriptive study Setting Canada, with the exception of the province of Quebec. Patients All women aged 15-59 years discharged with endometriosis between April 2008 and March 2013. Interventions None Measurements and Main Results Over five years, 47,021 women were admitted for endometriosis with a total hospital cost of C$152.21 million (U$ 147.79 million) and cost of C$3,237 (U$ 3,143) per case. Uterine endometriosis accounted for 28.29% of cases; ovarian endometriosis, 27.44%; and other endometriosis 44.27%. Uterine endometriosis costed most at C$4,137 (U$ 4,017) per case, followed by ovarian endometriosis (C$3,506; U$ 3,404), and other endometriosis (C$2,495; U$ 2,422). Highest number of cases were in age groups 35-39 years (20.77%) and 40-44 years (20.44%). Hysterectomy accounted for 29.57% of surgical procedures. Encounters with hysterectomy were the most costly at C$5,062 (U$ 4,915) per case, followed by the ones with other surgical procedures at C$2,477 (U$ 2,405) per case, and admissions with no surgical procedure at C$2,164 (U$ 2,101) per case. Conclusion The hospital cost associated with endometriosis was approximately C$ 30 million (U$ 29.56 million) per year, whereas uterine endometriosis, hysterectomy and older age were found to have higher average cost per case. Though this study focuses specifically on hospital admission and does not account for outpatient costs or indirect costs, this study nonetheless highlights the economic burden of this debilitating disease on Canadian society during the study period.