Burden of Disease of Human Papillomavirus (HPV): Hospitalizations in the Marche and Veneto Regions. An observational study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: HPV (human papillomavirus) is the virus most often responsible for sexually transmitted infections. The burden of HPV-related diseases on hospital resources represents a major public health problem. The aim of this study was to assess the economic burden of HPV-related diseases (anal cancer, genital cancer, genital warts, oropharyngeal cancer) on hospital resources in two Italian regions.

METHODS: A retrospective, non-randomized, observational study was developed in the Marche and Veneto Regions, based on patients receiving hospitalization between 2008 and 2011. All hospitalizations were identified through administrative archives, according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9 CM) to which a defined tariff was assigned.

RESULTS: We identified 5299 hospitalized patients in Veneto and 1735 in the Marche Region. The mean annual hospitalization rate was 49.44 per 100,000 individuals in Veneto and 48.41 in Marche. The total mean annual cost attributable to HPV-related diseases was €5.78 (SD 0.80) million in Veneto and €2.24 (SD 0.17) million in Marche. Costs associated with genital cancer amounted to €1.61 million in Veneto and €1.06 million in Marche (28% and 47% of the total mean annual cost, respectively). Oropharyngeal cancer accounted for 36% in Veneto (€2.08 million) and 28% in Marche (€632,645). Hospitalization costs related to anal cancer were €882,567 in Veneto and €377,719 in Marche; genital warts accounted for €1.19 million in Veneto and €171,406 in Marche. Finally, the mean cost per patient was €4364 in Veneto and €5176 in Marche.

CONCLUSIONS: The present work estimated the cost of HPV-related diseases for hospitalized patients in two Italian regions. The considerable estimated annual economic burden is a powerful driver for the governance of the public health sector.