Published: 01-08-2019

The heoro.com database is updated daily from a systematic search of PubMed for studies relevant to health economics and outcomes research.

In this blog we summarise some of the most important and interesting studies added throughout the month of August 2019.

Studies reporting utilities

• EQ-5D and SF-36 scores, disease activity and work performance were significantly better in patients with psoriatic arthritis and an inadequate response to TNF inhibitors treated with ixekizumab than placebo at 24 weeks. Kavanaugh 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Nalfurafine reduced PBC-40 itch scores after 12 weeks in people with primary biliary cholangitis in Japan, but SF-36 values were not altered. Yagi 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Exercise therapy did not affect EQ-5D index or EQ-VAS values compared with usual care in patients with alcohol use disorders in Denmark. Sari 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A value set for the EQ-5D was established for 42 health states in the general population of Iran using time trade-off methods. Goudarzi 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review identified utility values for health states associated with breast cancer surgery; breast-conserving therapy had the highest value at 0.79 compared with 0.75 for mastectomy. Yoon 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that quality of life on the SF-36 was reduced on all subscales in adults with neurofibromatosis. Sanagoo 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients aged over 60 who discontinued immunomodulatory therapy for multiple sclerosis in the USA had higher EQ-5D scores than those who continued treatment, with no difference in PHQ-9 or Performance Scale scores. Hua 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patients with psoriatic arthritis had slightly worse SF-36 and SF-6D scores than those with rheumatoid arthritis in Norway. Michelsen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed 
• The EQ-5D-5L and Sheffield Preference-based Venous Ulcer questionnaire (SPVU-5D) were both valid for use in people with venous leg ulcers in Australia; utility values were lower with the EQ-5D. Cheng 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EQ-5D plus cognition dimension and the standard EQ-5D performed better in people after trauma who had brain injury compared with those without brain injury in the Netherlands. Geraerds 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Population norms for the EQ-5D were determined for 20 countries based on the time trade-off approach. Janssen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EQ-5D and SF-6D (derived from the SF-36) performed similarly in patients undergoing lung reduction surgery for COPD in the USA, but the percentage increase was higher in EQ-5D than SF-6D. Thuppal 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Patient-reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Health Domains have been validated against the SF-12 as a measure of health utility in people undergoing spinal surgery in the USA. Raad 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Utility values were derived for each severity class in people with myasthenia gravis in Canada; values were higher for EQ-5D utilites ( 0.61 to 0.92) than SF-6D (0.50 to 0.86). Barnett 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies validating a PRO instrument

• The Mood and Feelings Questionnaire was validated against the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised and the Reynolds Adolescent Depression Scale 2 in adolescents with depression in New Zealand. Thabrew 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A self-reported global atopic dermatitis severity scale (mild, moderate, severe) was validated against the Patient-Oriented Scoring AD (PO-SCORAD), Patient-Oriented Eczema Measure (POEM), Numeric Rating Scale (NRS)-itch, NRS-sleep, NRS-pain, and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) in adults in the USA with atopic dermatitis. Silverberg 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The performance of mapping algorithms for the EQ-5D and EORTC QLQ-C30 were tested in patients with various cancers in the UK. Woodcock 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Comprehensive Assessment of Self-Reported Urinary Symptoms (CASUS) was validated in adults in the USA with lower urinary tract symptoms. Weinfurt 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A cut-off score of 82 out of 100 on the Simple Test for Evaluating hand Function (STEF) score predicted return to work after stroke in adults in Japan. Fukuda 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Active Life with Asthma review (Gr-ALMA) was validated against the Asthma Control Questionnaire (ACQ) and MiniAQoL in adults with asthma in Greece. Livadiotis 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) was validated as a measure of moderate to vigorous physical activity in older adults in the UK. Cleland 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The CONTILIFE questionnaire was validated against the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), the Incontinence Impact Questionnaire-7 (IIQ-7), and the Urinary Distress Inventory-6 (UDI-6) in women with stress urinary incontinence in Turkey. Orhan 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The American Diabetes Association-validated diabetes mellitus screening questionnaire (ADAQ) was shown to be a sensitive tool for identifying patients at risk of hyperglycaemia prior to steroid injection therapy in the USA. Nguyen 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The pelvic organ prolapse/incontinence sexual questionnaire-IUGA revised (PISQ-IR) was validated against the Pelvic Floor Dysfunction Inventory-20 (PFDI-20) and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) in Dutch women with pelvic floor dysfunction. van Dongen 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Pelvic Floor Distress Inventory was validated against the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ) in women in Poland with pelvic floor dysfunction. Grzybowska 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Chinese Migraine-Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire was validated against the SF-12 and numerical rating scale in patients with migraine in Taiwan. Chang 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Hebrew Dysphagia Handicap Index was validated in patients undergoing fiberoptic endoscopic examination of swallowing for dysphagia in Israel. Shapira-Galitz 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Charcot-Marie-Tooth Health Index was validated against the Mobility-Disability Severity Index in patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in the USA. Johnson 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Other PRO studies

•  Quality of Life in Short Stature Youth questionnaire scores were improved in adolescent males with idiopathic short stature after growth hormone but results after aromatase inhibitor therapy were inconsistent. Bullinger 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• EORTC QLQ-C30 and QLQ-PR25 scores worsened after radical prostatectomy for prostate cancer in Korea, all domains other than sexual functioning and social functioning recovered after 12 months. Shin 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Avoralstat improved Angioedema Quality of Life Questionnaire (AE-QoL) scores compared with placebo in patients with hereditary angioedema in Europe and North America. Riedl 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• In the USA, Wisconsin Stone Quality of Life Questionnaire scores are lower in patients with kidney stones who are younger, female and non-Caucasian. Stern 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Lower FertiQOL scores are strongly correlated with PHQ-9 depression and IIEF erectile dysfunction scores in male partners of couples with unexplained infertility in the USA, but these are not correlated with spermatogenesis or testosterone levels. Coward 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Time to deterioration of symptoms was longer and quality of life higher in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer treated with osimertinib than standard chemotherapy. Lee 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that parent- and self-reported KIDSCREEN scores were lower in children aged 8 to 18 years with chronic diseases than in their healthy peers, with impairment in the physical well-being and peers and social support domains. Silva 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting costs and resource use

• Treatment costs were lower in patients starting apremilast for psoriasis in the USA compared with biologics; 1-year treatment persistence was similar at 32-33%. Wu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• 86% of patients presenting with abdominal pain in the US in 2016 received oral contrast during CT scans, with an estimated annual cost for one centre of $82,552. Shankar 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The EUROScore was able to stratify patients into long (>48hr) vs short (<48h) stay in ICU after coronary artery bypass grafts or heart valve surgery in the UK. Meadows 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• 1-year total costs were 14% lower after transoral robotic surgery for oropharyngeal cancer in the USA compared with chemoradiotherapy, despite a longer initial admission. Tam 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found the annual total societal costs of COPD per patient in the Asia-Pacific region ranged from $453 to $12,167 in South Korea to $4398 to $23,049 in Japan. Woo 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Among adults aged >70 years admitted to hospital in Ireland, there was no significant difference in length of stay or total costs between those with and without dementia. Ahern 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean costs for a 50 year old man undergoing colorectal resection in Canada between 2008 and 2015 was $9270; laparoscopy was $1390 cheaper than open surgery, costs were mainly driven by complications and need for reoperation. Springer 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• First-line FOLFIRINOX more cost-effective than GEMOX or gemcitabine plus paclitaxel compared with gemcitabine alone in advanced pancreatic cancer. Giuliani 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean costs of metastatic clear cell renal cell carcinoma managed with targeted therapies in France is €71,185; main drivers of costs were time to disease control >6 months, >2 lines of treatment, nephrectomy, number of metastases and age. Cholley 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A meta-analysis found that laparoscopic radiofrequency ablation for symptomatic uterine fibroids is well tolerated, improves quality of life and leads to a mean 4.35 days off work. Lin 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Using the prostate health index (PHI) to diagnose prostate cancer would save costs in France compared with PSA screening if the cost of the PHI test is <€30. Mathieu 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Alvimopan reduces length of stay after colorectal resection or stoma reversal, reducing costs by $708 per patient in the USA. Hyde 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mean cost of admission for children with asthma in Chile was $1910; 26% were not receiving any controller medication 6 months after discharge. Herrera 2019 Go to paper on PubMed 
• Costs of total shoulder arthroplasty in the USA are 41% higher for inpatient procedures than for outpatient athroplasty after adjusting for inpatient-specific charges. Gregory 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• 5.3% of employed adults on methadone maintenance in Vietnam missed work due to health problems with 30% absenteeism and mean weekly cost of US$ 19.6; 21.7% had impaired productivity at work due to health problems with mean weekly cost of US$8.7. Tran 2018 Go to paper on PubMed

Economic evaluations

• Combined tiotropium + olodaterol was cost-effective compared with tiotropium monotherapy from a healthcare and societal perspective in people with COPD in France. Hoogendoorn 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Starting screening for colorectal cancer at age 45 years instead of 50 yr is cost-effective in the USA with an ICER of $33,900/QALY, but increasing participation rates of older adults and those at higher risk would prevent 3 times as many deaths for one-third the cost. Ladabaum 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• A systematic review found that adjuvant trastuzumab was cost-effective in early breast cancer in Asia, with an ICER of $8573 to $20816 per QALY gained. Abdul Rafar 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Screening 35 to 64-year-old women in rural China for breast cancer with clinical examination and ultrasound increased costs and reduced QALYs compared with no screening, with an ICER of $-916/QALY gained. Sun 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• The Fast-track strategy to end the AIDS epidemic by 2030 would cost $13.69 per capita internationally but save $88.14 per capita, a return of investment of 6.44. Lamontagne 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Switching 5% of women in Sweden requiring contraception from short-acting to long-acting contraceptives would prevent >3500 unplanned pregnancies a year, saving €7.7 million. Engstrand 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Primary screening for cervical cancer with HPV cytology is cost-effective in Thailand, with an ICER of $1,395/QALY gained compared with cervical cytology. Termrungruanglert 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• An 8-week course of antivirals is the most cost-effective strategy for chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 infection in the UK, with an expected incremental net monetary benefit of £7737 compared with 12-week therapy. Fawsitt 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Option B+ is more cost-effective than Option B at prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in China, with an ICER of $32.99/QALY gained in infants and $5149/ life-year gained in mothers. Wang 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Gastro-resistant risedronate had an ICER of less than €60,000 per QALY gained compared with alendronate, generic risedronate and no treatment in postmenopausal women in France. Hiligsmann 2019 Go to paper on PubMed

Studies reporting mortality rates or trends

• One-year mortality was 15.3% in German patients on haemodialysis; mortality was higher in those with greater itch intensity who had secondary scratch lesions than those with normal skin. Grochulska 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• In the USA in 1999 to 2016, 4% of all heart failure deaths and 9% of all dementia deaths were in people with both diagnoses; age-adjusted mortality rates were 38.67/1 million person-years in women and 32.9/1 million p-y in men. Vuong 2018 Go to paper on PubMed
• Mortality was 2 to 3-fold higher in adults with sepsis secondary to pneumonia or skin and soft tissue infection than urinary tract infection in Colombia. Caraballo 2019 Go to paper on PubMed
• Guideline-recommended therapy with beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists were significantly associated with 30-day and 1-year mortality in US veterans with heart failure, but not correlated with 30-day readmission rates. Patel 2018 Go to paper on PubMed