THE COST OF CHRONIC KIDNEY DISEASE BEFORE RENAL REPLACEMENT THERAPY IN MOROCCO: A COST OF ILLNESS STUDY

Abstract Background and Aims Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a leading public health problem in Morocco, its consequences and costs have implications for public health policy. The present study aimed to estimate the social cost of CKD before the start of renal replacement therapy in a Moroccan region. Method A cross-sectional cost of illness study, using bottom-up approach was performed at the department of nephrology in university hospital of Fez during 2020, among stages 3 to 5 CKD patients, followed up for at least one-year. The analyzed costs include the following annual expenditures: hospitalizations, outpatient visits, day care hospital, drugs, laboratory tests, imaging, and medical specialized acts. Non-medical costs such as transportation and indirect costs like loss of productivity were also assessed. Determinants of CKD cost were identified by univariate analysis using t test, ANOVA or non-parametric tests, p < 0.05 is the level of statistical significance. Results Eighty-eight patients were included (63.6% women, mean age: 61.8±14.0 years), 76.1% were on CKD stage 4 or 5. The estimated annual social cost of CKD was 2231,12 US$ (95% CI, 1676,09-2793,93 US$). The direct cost accounted for 99,5% (direct medical cost: 91,2%, direct non-medical cost: 8,3%), and the indirect cost accounted for 0,5 % of the social cost. Hospitalizations, diagnosis and treatments represented the main expenses of the direct medical cost (32,2%, 29,7%, 32,2% respectively). The social cost components were not significantly different between CKD stages. Conclusion The cost of CKD in its early stages still lower than the cost of renal replacement therapy, which brings the light on the necessity of secondary prevention of CKD to postpone or prevent the progression toward ESRD.