Is Population Screening for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Cost-effective?

Overview

Journal BMC Cardiovasc Disord

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Cardiology & Vascular Diseases

Date 2008 Nov 20

PMID 19017393

Citations 4

Authors

Lars Ehlers

Jan Sorensen

Lotte Groth Jensen

Merete Bech

Mette Kjolby

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is responsible for 1-2% of all male deaths over the age of 65 years. Early detection of AAA and elective surgery can reduce the mortality risk associated with AAA. However, many patients will not be diagnosed with AAA and have therefore an increased death risk due to the untreated AAA. It has been suggested that population screening for AAA in elderly males is effective and cost-effective. The purpose of this study was to perform a systematic review of published cost-effectiveness analyses of screening elderly men for AAA.

Methods: We performed a systematic search for economic evaluations in NHSEED, EconLit, Medline, Cochrane, Embase, Cinahl and two Scandinavian HTA data bases (DACEHTA and SBU). All identified studies were read in full and each study was systematically assessed according to international guidelines for critical assessment of economic evaluations in health care.

Results: The search identified 16 cost-effectiveness studies. Most studies considered only short term cost consequences. The studies seemed to employ a number of "optimistic" assumptions in favour of AAA screening, and included only few sensitivity analyses that assessed less optimistic assumptions.

Conclusion: Further analyses of cost-effectiveness of AAA screening are recommended.

Citing Articles

Screening for Prevalence of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm During Transthoracic Echocardiography in Patient With Significant Coronary Artery Disease.

Vishwakarma P, Patwari P, Pradhan A, Bhandari M, Sethi R, Chandra S Cardiol Res. 2021; 12(5):318-323.

PMID: 34691330 PMC: 8510653. DOI: 10.14740/cr1288.

Letter to Editor.

Ehlers L Med Health Care Philos. 2019; 23(3):537-539.

PMID: 31309371 PMC: 7426299. DOI: 10.1007/s11019-019-09913-7.

Recommendations on screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm in primary care.

CMAJ. 2017; 189(36):E1137-E1145.

PMID: 28893876 PMC: 5595553. DOI: 10.1503/cmaj.170118.

Analysis of cost effectiveness of screening Danish men aged 65 for abdominal aortic aneurysm.

Ehlers L, Overvad K, Sorensen J, Christensen S, Bech M, Kjolby M BMJ. 2009; 338:b2243.

PMID: 19553267 PMC: 3272654. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.b2243.

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