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. 2025 Aug;55(8):1251-1257.
doi: 10.1111/imj.70092. Epub 2025 May 6.

Economic burden of sickle cell disease in Australia

Steve Nwokeocha  1 , Helen E Haysom  2 , Cameron Wellard  2 , Tracy Roberts  1 , Mwayi Kachapila  1 , Melissa Chee  2 , Dennis Petrie  3 , Zoe K McQuilten  2   4 , Neil Waters  2 , Anthea Greenway  4   5 , Kylie Mason  6   7 , Anna Nelson  2   8 , Zane Kaplan  4   9 , P Joy Ho  8   10 , Erica M Wood  2   4 , Adam Irving  2   3 ; Australian Haemoglobinopathy Registry
Collaborators, Affiliations

Economic burden of sickle cell disease in Australia

Steve Nwokeocha et al. Intern Med J. 2025 Aug.

Abstract

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited condition that impairs red blood cell function, posing a substantial health burden on patients. As the prevalence of SCD in Australia rises due to migration, discussions surrounding treatment and management strategies are becoming more prominent.

Aims: Australia lacks a dedicated study on the prevalence and economic implications of SCD. In this study, we estimate the economic burden of SCD in Australia from the perspective of the Australian healthcare system.

Methods: We performed a cost-of-illness study by using a bottom-up approach to estimate resource use per patient from a national registry with unit costs from national sources, and a top-down estimate of the prevalence of SCD in Australia using stratification by ancestry.

Results: We estimated the prevalence of SCD in Australia in 2021 to be 8485 patients, the cost per patient per year to be AU$13 975 and the total cost to the Australian healthcare system to be approximately AU$119 million per year. Factors influencing costs were age, interventions and frequency of hospital visits for vaso-occlusive crises. Prevalence had the greatest influence on results in the sensitivity analysis.

Conclusions: While the estimated prevalence of SCD in Australia resulted in a relatively small total cost, the per patient annual cost of SCD remains high. This cost of SCD is anticipated to increase alongside migration and improved treatment. There are policies that could enhance patients' quality of life, thereby mitigating both economic and health burdens.

Keywords: cost of illness; prevalence; sickle cell disease.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Sensitivity analysis Tornado diagram. ED, emergency department; SCD, sickle cell disease.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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