Costs and health-related quality of life of patients with cystic fibrosis and their carers in France

BackgroundOur goal was to provide data on the economic burden and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) associated with cystic fibrosis (CF) in France.MethodsA retrospective cross-sectional study was carried out on adults and children with CF, who completed an anonymous questionnaire regarding their socio-demographic characteristics, healthcare consumption and presence of a carer. Costs were calculated with a bottom-up approach, and HRQoL was assessed using EQ-5D.Results82 adults and 158 children were included. The total average annual cost of CF was €29,746 per patient. Total costs were higher in adults than in children and increased with disease duration. The average utility was lower in adults (0.667 vs. 0.783 in children, p = 0.0015). The HRQoL of carers was also affected (0.742 and 0.765 for carers of adults and children with CF, respectively).ConclusionsOur study highlights the burden of CF in terms of costs and decreased HRQoL for both patients and carers.