Estimate of the economic impact of osteoporotic hip fractures in men with partial androgen deficiency related to aging in the brazilian private health system.

Abstract

The deficit of androgen related to aging is associated with loss of muscle mass and bone, being a risk factor for osteoporosis and fractures. The aim of the study was to estimate the number of osteoporotic hip fractures and associated costs in a hypothetical cohort of Brazilian men over 65 years with testosterone deficiency in the private health care system.We performed an extrapolation to the Brazilian population from epidemiological data obtained from scientific literature on the prevalence of deficit of androgen, osteoporosis and hip fractures. Costs associated with inpatient treatment of hip fracture were obtained from a national study. We estimated a number of 69,895 cases and about 27,130 new cases per year, causing 1,710 new cases of osteoporosis with a relative increase of 105% in the incidence of fracture between men with and without testosterone deficiency. These fractures result in an incremental cost of R$ 318,002 for health plans companies in one year and R$ 910,429.30 in 3 years. The results of this analysis suggest that in a Brazilian male population over 65 years, the deficit of androgen may be associated with a significant increase in new cases of osteoporosis and fractures. Early diagnosis and proper treatment of this condition may have a favorable impact on fracture prevention and minimization of direct and indirect costs.