Purpose: To investigate the use of health care resources and costs of first-time pharmacologically treated adults with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) compared with a control group of non-pharmacologically treated ADHD patients.
Methods: A Retrospective cohort study including all adult ADHD patients in Central Denmark Region and North Denmark Region using prescribed ADHD medicine (ATC-code: N06BA04 (methylphenidates) and N06BA09 (atomoxetine)). Study period was 2007-2011. Controls were defined as the pre-index therapy year for patients with an index therapy date in 2009. Costs covered pharmaceuticals, hospital in-house and ambulatory visits and outpatient visits (general practitioner, neurologists, psychiatrist and psychologists). Two Ordinary Least Square (OLS) regression with fixed effects were made. One model was applied to estimate adjusted mean costs before and after initiation of medical treatment of ADHD and one model to explain the cost of patients with different comorbidities and treatments.
Results: The OLS regression model show a rise of 9.8% of adjusted mean cost per patient to DKK 39,790 first post-index therapy year. The second post-index therapy year mean cost per patient fell with 21.8% to DKK 29,003. Both post-index therapy years were compared with the pre-index therapy year mean cost of DKK 36.070.
Conclusion: Adjusted overall health care costs were raised first post-index therapy year but lowered the second post-index therapy year for the medicated group indicating a lowering effect of ADHD medical treatment on overall healthcare costs after one year of treatment.