THE COST OF ANGINA-PECTORIS IN SWEDEN

A survey of 402 Swedish patients with angina pectoris was performed to estimate the annual direct medical costs, and nonmedical costs, of a typical Swedish angina pectoris patient, and to identify those variabl es having the greatest impact on the direct medical costs. Data regard ing the consumption of healthcare services over a 3-month period were collected through telephone interviews conducted by trained nurses at a medical marketing agency. The data were multiplied by 4 to obtain an estimate of the annual resource consumption. The annual direct medica l cost of angina pectoris was estimated at 40 052 Swedish kronor (SEK; $US1 approximate to SEK7.20, March 1995) per patient, comparable with the cost of a myocardial infarction. As expected, however, the severi ty of angina pectoris was important in determining the direct medical cost. The significant variables explaining variations in direct costs were (in order of importance): (i) whether the patient had undergone c ardiovascular surgery; (ii) whether the patient was treated by a gener al practitioner or an internist; (iii) the number of years since first diagnosis of angina pectoris; and (iv) whether the patient's angina p ectoris was characterised as stable or unstable. The annual nonmedical cost of angina pectoris per patient was estimated at SEK38 225. The r elatively high costs of angina pectoris underline the importance of he alth economic evaluations of various diseases and medical intervention s.