A Renal Transplantation and Hemodialysis Cost-Utility Analysis in Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease / 대한이식학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to examine the cost-effectiveness of renal transplantation and hemodialysis among end-stage renal disease patients. METHODS: Empirical data on treatment costs were collected from five hospitals in Korea. We used European Renal Association-European Dialysis and Transplant Association registry data for transition probability. Quality adjusted life year (QALY) values were derived from the literature. A Markov model was used for predicting the cost utility of transplantation and hemodialysis over a 10-year period. RESULTS: Renal transplantation was less costly and resulted in a better outcome than hemodialysis. The cost per QALY gained was 19,450 thousand won in transplantation patients, whereas it was 36,514 thousand won per QALY gained in hemodialysis patients. CONCLUSIONS: Although the cost of the first year after transplantation was expensive, transplantation was more effective over 2 years and was less costly than hemodialysis. The results suggest that transplantation is more cost-effective than hemodialysis in Korea.