Estimating the prevalence and economic burden of overactive bladder among Medicare beneficiaries prior to Medicare Part D coverage

ABSTRACTObjective: The goal of this study is to provide annual estimates for the treated prevalence and expenditures attributable to overactive bladder (OAB) in the elderly prior to Medicare Part D drug coverage.Research design and methods: All Medicare claims were extracted for beneficiaries over 65 with continuous coverage for Medicare Parts A and B during 2003–2004. Two OAB definitions were created: (1) the base case included diagnosis codes that narrowly defined OAB, and (2) the sensitivity variant included additional codes indicative of OAB. Descriptive comparisons of baseline characteristics, annual expenditures, and events and procedures were performed for OAB vs. non-OAB subjects meeting the inclusion criteria. CMS expenditures (2004 US dollars) for individuals were totaled and multiple regression techniques were used to estimate costs attributable to OAB after adjusting for demographic characteristics and comorbid conditions.Results: The prevalence of subjects with an OAB diagnosis ranged from 8....