Direct and indirect costs for systemic lupus erythematosus in Sweden. A nationwide health economic study based on five defined cohorts

Jönsen A, Hjalte F, Willim M, Carlsson KS, Sjöwall C, Svenungsson E, Leonard D, Bengtsson C, Rantapää-Dahlqvist S, Pettersson S, Gunnarsson I, Zickert A, Gustafsson JT, Rönnblom L, Petersson IF, Bengtsson AA and Nived O

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disorder that involves multiple organs and has alternating periods of flare-ups and quiescence. Previous studies of consequences of SLE have focused on selected patients in tertiary care and often only on direct costs, thus, allowing only part of the spectrum to be seen. The main objectives of this study were to calculate both direct and indirect costs as well as cost-driving disease features among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in Sweden. The study is a retrospective register-based cohort study of more than 1000 patients diagnosed with SLE in different parts of Sweden.