Prevalence and Costs of Five Chronic Conditions in Children.
Gabrielle F Miller, Edward Coffield, Zanie Leroy and 1 others
PMID 27044668WHAT IT FOUND
Asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy significantly increase medical costs for children, with epilepsy costing the most.
Food allergies and hypertension showed no significant cost difference. Asthma was the most prevalent condition, affecting 8.50% of the sample.
Key findings
01Children with asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy had higher medical expenditures than those without these conditions, while food allergies and hypertension did not show significantly higher costs.
02Epilepsy was associated with the highest additional annual medical cost per child at US$9,103.25.
03Asthma was the most prevalent of the five conditions studied, affecting 8.50% of the total sample.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study relied on self-reported data and ICD-9/CCC codes, which may lead to underreporting or misclassification, particularly for food allergies. Diabetes types could not be separated, limiting the ability to analyze costs by specific type. The epilepsy code included 'seizures not otherwise specified,' which might encompass febrile seizures. The analysis did not account for costs at the local level, such as specific schools or districts. Children with multiple chronic conditions were included, but the study did not isolate the cost impact of comorbidities.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or specific funding sources were declared in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that all chronic conditions carry a similar financial burden or prevalence. Food allergies and hypertension, while clinically significant, did not show significantly higher medical expenditures in this analysis compared to asthma, diabetes, and epilepsy.