Investigating the economic burden of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) treatment in Tehran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

2 Department of Pharmacoeconomics and Pharmaceutical Management, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran

3 Department of Pharmacoeconomics & Pharmaceutical Management, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Tehran Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran

Abstract

Background and Objective: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most complex and common endocrine disorders affecting women of childbearing age. Previous studies have indicated that this syndrome increases the risk of various diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and endometrial tumors. This research aimed to assess the cost of treating patients with PCOS in Tehran in 2023 and to evaluate its economic impact on patient's quality of life.
Materials and Methods: This study involved administering a questionnaire to 384 patients diagnosed with PCOS. Descriptive and inferential statistics were utilized for data analysis. To assess the normality of the data, the coefficients of skewness and kurtosis were calculated. The relationships between variables were examined using non-parametric methods, specifically the Spearman correlation coefficient and the Mann-Whitney test. SPSS software (version 26) was employed for statistical analysis.
Results: The findings revealed that the economic burden of PCOS is estimated to be approximately 90 million Tomans per year on average. Direct medical expenses constituted the largest share of costs, followed by medical indirect expenditures and indirect (intangible) costs.
Conclusion: Polycystic ovary syndrome imposes a significant economic burden on families and the healthcare and insurance systems in the country. To alleviate this burden, promoting a healthy lifestyle, encouraging physical activity, and advocating for a proper diet are recommended, as these factors play a crucial role in preventing PCOS.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Lopez Ad, Mathers Cd, Ezzati M, Dt J, Cjl M. Measuring the Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors, 1990–2001. Global Burden of Disease and Risk Factors 2006; Chapter 1, p. 1-14.
  2. Murray CJ, Lopez AD. Global mortality, disability, and the contribution of risk factors: Global Burden of Disease Study. The Lancet 1997;349(9063):1436–42.
  3. Hickey M, Doherty DA, Atkinson H, Sloboda DM, Franks S, Norman RJ. Clinical, ultrasound and biochemical features of polycystic ovary syndrome in adolescents: implications for diagnosis. Human Reproduction 2011;26(6):1469–77.
  4. Franks S, McCarthy MI, Hardy K. Development of polycystic ovary syndrome: involvement of genetic and environmental factors. International Journal of Andrology 2006;29(1):278-85.
  5. Ben-Shlomo I, Grinbaum E, Levinger U. Obesity-associated infertility - the earliest known description. Reproductive Biomedicine Online 2008;17 Suppl 1:5-6.
  6. Azziz R. PCOS in 2015: New insights into the genetics of polycystic ovary syndrome. Nature Reviews Endocrinology 2016;12(2):74-5.
  7. Merkin SS, Phy JL, Sites CK, Yang D. Environmental determinants of polycystic ovary syndrome. Fertility and Sterility 2016;106(1):16-24.
  8. Tehrani FR, Simbar M, Tohidi M, Hosseinpanah F, Azizi F. The prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in a community sample of Iranian population: Iranian PCOS prevalence study. Reproductive Biology and Endocrinology 2011;9:39.
  9. Witchel SF, Azziz R, Oberfield SE. History of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Premature Adrenarche, and Hyperandrogenism in Pediatric Endocrinology. Hormone Research in Paediatrics 2022;95(6):557–67.
  10. Shahid R, Iahtisham‐Ul‐Haq, Mahnoor, Awan KA, Iqbal MJ, Munir H. Diet and lifestyle modifications for effective management of polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS). Journal of Food Biochemistry 2022;46(7):e14117.
  11. Kyrou I, Weickert MO, Randeva HS. Diagnosis and Management of Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS). Endocrinology and Diabetes 2015;99–113.
  12. Tan WC, Yap C, Tan ASA. Clinical management of PCOS. Acta Obstetricia et Gynecologica Scandinavica 2001;80(8):689–96.
  13. Bahrami H, Mohseni M, Amini L, Karimian Z. The effect of six weeks yoga exercises on quality of life in infertile women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). The Iranian Journal of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Infertility 2019;22(5):18-26.
  14. Rice DP. Cost of illness studies: what is good about them? Injury Prevention 2000;6(3):177-9.
  15. Brüggmann D, Berges L, Klingelhöfer D, Bauer J, Bendels M, Louwen F. Polycystic ovary syndrome: analysis of the global research architecture using density equalizing mapping. Reproductive Biomedicine Online 2017;34(6):627–38.
  16. Liu J, Wu Q, Hao Y, Jiao M, Wang X, Jiang S, Han L. Measuring the global disease burden of polycystic ovary syndrome in 194 countries: Global Burden of Disease Study 2017. Human Reproduction 2021;36(4):1108-1119.
  17. Chiaffarino F, Cipriani S, Dalmartello M, Ricci E, Esposito G, Fedele F, La Vecchia C, Negri E, Parazzini F. Prevalence of polycystic ovary syndrome in European countries and USA: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology 2022;279:159-170.
  18. Copp T, Muscat DM, Hersch J, McCaffery KJ, Doust J, Mol BW, Dokras A, Jansen J. Clinicians' perspectives on diagnosing polycystic ovary syndrome in Australia: a qualitative study. Human Reproduction 2020;35(3):660-668.
  19. Holton S, Papanikolaou V, Hammarberg K, Rowe H, Kirkman M, Jordan L, McNamee K, Bayly C, McBain J, Sinnott V, Fisher J. Fertility management experiences of women with polycystic ovary syndrome in Australia. European Journal of Contraception & Reproductive Health Care 2018;23(4):282-287.
  20. Garad RM, Teede HJ. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: Improving policies, awareness and clinical care. Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research 2020;12;112-118.
  21. Boyle J, Teede HJ. Polycystic ovary syndrome an update. Australian Family Physician 2012;41(10):752-756.
  22. Shirazi M, Pooransari P, Hajiha N, Shaker Z, Ghazi M, Davari Tanha F, Ghorbani Yekta B, Ghaemi M. Effect of Single-Dose Methotrexate Treatment on Ovarian Reserve in Women with Ectopic Pregnancy Undergoing Infertility Treatment: A Single-Center Experience. International Journal of Fertility and Sterility 2020; 14(1): 23-26.
  23. Mearadji M. Endocrinology and Metabolic Disorders Abstracts. Iranian Journal of Pediatrics 2013;23(5):7-14.
  24. Dalvand H, Hosseini SA, Rassafiani M, Samadi S, Khankeh HR, Kelly G. Co-occupations: The caregiving challenges of mothers of children with cerebral palsy. British Journal of Occupational Therapy 2015;78:450 - 459.
  25. Zandi F. Evaluation of prevalence of symptoms, clinical and paraclinical finding in ultrasound and fertility outcomes in patients with PCO. Sarem Journal of Medical Research 2020;5 (3):126-133.
  26. Agbo AA. Cronbach’s Alpha: Review of Limitations and Associated Recommendations. Journal of Psychology in Africa 2010;20(2):233–9.
  27. Groeneveld RA, Meeden G. Measuring Skewness and Kurtosis. The Statistician 1984;33(4):391.
  28. Siegel IH. The Difference between the Paasche and Laspeyres Index-Number Formulas. Journal of the American Statistical Association 1941;36(215):343–50.
  29. de Winter JCF, Gosling SD, Potter J. Comparing the Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients across distributions and sample sizes: A tutorial using simulations and empirical data. Psychological Methods 2016;21(3):273–90.
  30. McKnight PE, Najab J. Mann-Whitney U Test. The Corsini Encyclopedia of Psychology 2010.
  31. Sheldon MR, Fillyaw MJ, Thompson WD. The use and interpretation of the Friedman test in the analysis of ordinal-scale data in repeated measures designs. Physiotherapy Research International 1996;1(4):221-8.
Daneshvar Medicine
Volume 32, Issue 5 - Serial Number 174
January and February 2025
Pages 44-54

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics