論文ID: JJID.2014.499
Korea has relatively high prevalence of hepatitis among high income countries. So, viral hepatitis infection has an effect not only on the population health status but also on national healthcare costs. This study was performed to estimate the economic costs of hepatitis A, B, and C virus and to determine the trends in Korea during 2008–2011 using nationally representative data. The prevalence of hepatitis A has decreased but hepatitis B and C increased overall. The mortality rate of hepatitis A was higher than others. The mortality rate of hepatitis B changed little but hepatitis C rose. The total cost of hepatitis A decreased (US$62.2 million to US$45.7 million), except in 2009 (US$126.6 million). The total cost of hepatitis B tended to increase rapidly during the same period (US$501.4 million to US$607.8 million). Finally, the total cost of hepatitis C increased (US$63.9 million to US$90.7 million). Direct costs of hepatitis A, B and C were estimated to account for approximately 35.5%, 46.6% and 58.0% of the total, respectively. These findings demonstrate the economic burden associated with hepatitis A, B, and C and emphasize the requirement for establishing an effective prevention and management policy for future planning in Korea.
