AUTHOR=Rogalska Anna Maria , Pawełczyk Olga , Solarz Krzysztof , Holecki Tomasz TITLE=What Are the Costs of Diagnostics and Treatment of Lyme Borreliosis in Poland? JOURNAL=Frontiers in Public Health VOLUME=Volume 8 - 2020 YEAR=2021 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2020.599239 DOI=10.3389/fpubh.2020.599239 ISSN=2296-2565 ABSTRACT=

Lyme borreliosis (LB) is a growing epidemiological threat in many areas of the world, including North America and Europe. Due to the lack of effective protection against this disease, it seems important to ensure a timely diagnosis for effective treatment and the prevention of serious health consequences. The aim of this study was to assess the costs of diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease in Poland. The costs incurred for the medical payer were analyzed. The cost of hospitalization due to LB for one patient in 2018 was estimated to be ~582.39 EUR, which constituted 53.10% of the average monthly salary of that year. In the analyzed period (2008–2018), the number of people treated by medical services due to Lyme disease increased, both in hospitalization and ambulatory specialist care. Although, the costs of hospitalization were the highest of the two, we noticed a change ratio between hospitalization and ambulatory specialist care in favor of the latter.