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Bedard T, Lowry RB, Crawford S, Wang TG, Bakal J, Metcalfe A, Harrop AR, Grevers X, Thomas MA. Publicly funded healthcare costs associated with orofacial clefts for children born in Alberta, Canada between 2002 and 2018. Birth Defects Res 2024; 116:e2295. [PMID: 38179866 DOI: 10.1002/bdr2.2295] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Revised: 12/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/06/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Orofacial clefts (OFCs) include cleft palate (CP), cleft lip (CL), and cleft lip with cleft palate (CLP) and require multidisciplinary healthcare services. Alberta, Canada has a publicly funded, universal access healthcare system. This study determined publicly funded healthcare costs for children with an OFC and compared these costs to children without congenital anomalies. METHODS This retrospective population-based cohort analysis used the Alberta Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System to identify children born between 2002 and 2018 with an isolated OFC. They were matched 1:1 to a reference cohort based on sex and year of birth. The study population included 1614 children, from birth to 17 years of age linked to administrative databases to estimate annual inpatient and outpatient costs. Average annual all-cause costs were compared using two-sample independent t tests. RESULTS The mean total cleft-related costs per patient were highest for children with CLP ($74,138 CAD, standard deviation (SD) $43,447 CAD), followed by CP ($53,062 CAD, SD $74,366 CAD), and CL ($35,288 CAD, SD $49,720 CAD). The mean total all-cause costs per child were statistically significantly higher (p < .001) in children with an OFC ($56,305 CAD, SD $57,744 CAD) compared to children without a congenital anomaly ($18,600 CAD, SD $61,300 CAD). CONCLUSIONS Despite public health strategies to mitigate risk factors, the trend for OFCs has remained stable in Alberta, Canada for over 20 years. The costs reported are useful to other jurisdictions for comparison, and to families, healthcare professionals, service planners, and policy makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Bedard
- Alberta Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - R Brian Lowry
- Alberta Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, University of Calgary and Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Susan Crawford
- Alberta Perinatal Health Program, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Ting Grace Wang
- Provincial Research Data Services, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Jeffrey Bakal
- Provincial Research Data Services, Alberta Health Services, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Amy Metcalfe
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Foothills Medical Centre, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - A Robertson Harrop
- Departments of Pediatrics and Surgery, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Section of Plastic Surgery, University of Calgary and Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Xin Grevers
- Alberta Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Mary Ann Thomas
- Alberta Congenital Anomalies Surveillance System, Alberta Health Services, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Departments of Pediatrics and Medical Genetics, University of Calgary and Alberta Children's Hospital, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
- Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
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Kruckow S, Santini ZI, Hjarnaa L, Becker U, Andersen O, Tolstrup JS. Associations between alcohol intake and hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in 71,025 Danish adolescents - a prospective cohort study. EClinicalMedicine 2023; 64:102187. [PMID: 37936661 PMCID: PMC10626163 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2023.102187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2023] [Revised: 08/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Alcohol is a leading risk factor to adolescent health. However, it is unclear how associations between alcohol intake and injuries are shaped. We investigated the dose-response relationship between alcohol intake and risk of hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in adolescents. Methods We conducted a prospective cohort study including 71,025 Danish students aged 15-24 years, followed up for five years from 2014 to 2019. The main outcome measures were hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries (all injuries and head injuries), obtained from hospital registers. Findings Approximately 90% of males and females reported drinking alcohol, and the median intake among those was 11 drinks/week in males and 8 drinks/week in females. During five years of follow-up, 1.3% had an alcohol-attributable hospital contact, the majority of which were due to acute intoxication (70%). Alcohol-attributable hospital contacts were equally frequent in males and females and between age groups (15-17-year-olds vs 18-24-year-olds). Compared with never drinking, the adjusted incidence rate ratios for weekly intake of <7, 7-13, 14-20, 21-27, and >27 drinks/week were 1.70 (95% confidence interval 1.23-2.34), 1.77 (1.27-2.46), 1.91 (1.35-2.70), 2.34 (1.59-3.46), and 3.25 (2.27-4.64) for having an alcohol-attributable hospital contact within five years of follow-up. Restricting follow-up to one year more than doubled risk estimates. During the five years of follow-up, 27% incurred an unintentional injury. The most frequent types of injury were to the wrist or hand (27.6%), ankle or foot (25.2%), or head (12.4%). Injuries were more frequent among males (first-time incidence rate 110 per 1000 person-years) compared to females (82 per 1000 person-years), with no differences between age groups. Compared with never drinking, the adjusted incidence rate ratios for weekly intake of <7, 7-13, 14-20, 21-27, and >27 drinks were 1.09 (1.03-1.15), 1.14 (1.07-1.20), 1.25 (1.17-1.33), 1.38 (1.28-1.49), and 1.58 (1.47-1.69) for having a hospital contact for any type of unintentional injury within five years of follow-up. Results for the one-year follow-up period were comparable. Separate analysis for head injuries showed similar results as the analysis on all injuries. Results were generally similar in males and females. Interpretation Adolescents' drinking is associated with a higher risk of acute harm in terms of hospital contacts due to alcohol and unintentional injuries in a dose-response relationship. Thus, increased risk was apparent in those with low alcohol intake, suggesting a need for awareness of and initiatives to prevent youth drinking. Furthermore, initiatives should include a strengthened focus on people younger than 18 years. Funding This study was funded by the Tryg Foundation (ID: 153539) and The Helse Foundation (21-B-0359).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sofie Kruckow
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ziggi Ivan Santini
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Louise Hjarnaa
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Center for Clinical Research and Prevention, Bispebjerg and Frederiksberg Hospital, Frederiksberg, Denmark
| | - Ulrik Becker
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ove Andersen
- Department of Clinical Research, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
- Emergency Department, Copenhagen University Hospital Amager and Hvidovre, Hvidovre, Denmark
| | - Janne S. Tolstrup
- National Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
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