ScholarWorks@중앙대학교

초록

Purpose: The social burden of various chronic ocular diseases affects policy-making. This study aimed to understand the current status of the medical costs associated with rare retinal diseases in Korea. Methods: We analyzed the 2020 annual report on patients with rare diseases, published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency. The rare retinal diseases studied included Coats’ disease, retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt’s disease, Leber’s congenital amaurosis, and unspecified hereditary retinal dystrophy. The medical use status included claims, visits, and reimbursed days, including the prescription date, per case. Medical expenses included the total costs and fees for consultations, admission, medications, treatment, laboratory tests, and others (physiotherapy, radiology, and radiotherapy). Results: In 2020, 584 men and 549 women were diagnosed with rare retinal diseases. The frequency of medical facility visits was the highest for Coats’ disease (mean, 4 days annually). However, retinitis pigmentosa had the highest number of reimbursed days (21). Individual medical expenses were the highest for Coats’ disease (652.4 USD), whereas other diseases showed similar values (175.7-252.7 USD). Conclusions: There is a need to understand the current status of financial and medical support and establish a policy that considers additional costs for various future treatment methods.

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