PS8:160 Health care resource use (hru) and medical cost analyses as a function of systemic lupus erythematosus (sle) disease severity: analysis of claims data of a german sickness fund

Purpose Real-world HRU and medical cost analyses support drug development in SLE. The economic burden of SLE as a function of disease severity was quantified for a German cohort. Methods HRU and cost analyses were performed for patients (≥18 years old) with SLE and compared with those of matched controls for 2009–2014 using the Betriebskrankenkassen (BKK) German Sickness Fund Database. BKK is a branch of the statutory German health insurance. SLE was confirmed in 2009 using the diagnosing physician’s specialty, repeated SLE-related claims, co-diagnosis codes, laboratory tests, or prescriptions. At least 3 years’ data was also required prior to 2009. SLE cases were control matched by age, se…