Sex Differences in High-Cost Users of Healthcare for Atrial Fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare resource use for atrial fibrillation (AF) is high, but it may not be equivalent across all patients. We examined whether sex differences exist for AF high-cost users (HCUs), who account for the top 10% of total acute care costs.

METHODS: All patients aged ≥ 20 years who presented to the emergency department (ED) or were hospitalized with AF were identified in Alberta, Canada, between 2011 and 2015. The cohort was categorized by sex into HCUs and non-HCUs. Healthcare utilization was defined as ED, hospital, and physician visits, and costs included those for hospitalization, ambulatory care, physician billing, and drugs. All costs were inflated to 2022 Canadian dollars (CAD$).

RESULTS: Among 48,030 AF patients, 45.1% were female. Of these, 31.8% were HCUs, and the proportions of female and male patients were equal (31.9% vs 31.7%). Female HCUs were older, more likely to have hypertension and heart failure, and had a higher stroke risk than male HCUs. Mean healthcare utilization did not differ among HCUs by sex, except for number of ED visits, which was higher in male patients (12.7% vs 9.2%, P < 0.0001). Overall, HCUs accounted for 65.8% of the total costs (CAD$3.4 billion). Almost half of total HCU costs were attributable to female HCUs (CAD$966.1 million). Significant differences were present in the distributions of HCU-related costs (male patients: 74.6% hospitalization, 9.5% ambulatory care, 12.4% physician billing, 3.5% drugs; female patients: 77.7% hospitalization, 7.4% ambulatory care, 11.5% physician billing, 3.5% drugs, P < 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS: Despite having a lower AF prevalence, female patients represent an equal proportion of HCUs, and account for almost half the total HCU costs. Interventions targeted at reducing the number of AF HCU are needed, particularly for female patients.