Case Study : Evaluating the Cost of Illness of Genetic Haemochromatosis in Northern Ireland (March 2023)

Joanne Findlay (Imperial College Health Partners) & Neil McClements (Haemochromatosis UK)

For what we believe to be the first time, we have quantified the prevalence of genetic haemochromatosis in the Northern Irish population.

A health economic model of the cost of illness of genetic haemochromatosis in Northern Ireland was developed with reference to standardized UK healthcare costs and utilizing genetic screening results for 257 participants from public screening programmes undertaken in Northern Ireland during 2021 and 2022.

The model estimates that the total cost of illness attributable to genetic haemochromatosis in Northern Ireland is £420.2 million over a one year time horizon compared to £381.9 million in the wildtype population without GH. This represents an excess cost of £38.3 million.

The C282Y homozygous cohort are the costliest in terms of excess cost, at nearly £24.5 million excess cost over a one-year time horizon for both men and women. Liver disease contributes the most to the excess cost for the whole population, at £4.5 million for men, and £2.5 million for women. The 60 to 69 year old cohort were found to be the most expensive in both the wildtype and
GH cohorts.

These results show that genetic haemochromatosis is much more prevalent in Northern Ireland than other regions of the UK, based on earlier UK Biobank studies. Consequently, the excess healthcare costs attributable to the condition are much higher in Northern Ireland than elsewhere in the UK.

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