By Judith Graham

http://newoldage.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/02/the-deadly-threat-of-silent-heart-attacks/

The Deadly Threat of Silent Heart Attacks

  Cost (US$ in 2001)Event or early care†  

Myocardial Infarction $270-690Stroke $404-910

Re-infarction $32-125

Yearly care after myocardial infarction $54-64

Yearly care after stroke $408-775Yearly Drug Costs‡  

Aspirin $2 Metoprolol $43 Amlodipine $9

Enalapril $7 Lovastatin $14

Screening $6 -12Monitoring $6 -12   

Unit costs consisting of different costs for events or yearly care (low and high estimates in parentheses): hospital bed day, $16.15 (8.07-49.88);

health-center visit (hospital), $2.97 (1.35-4.96); operation room (per min), $3.12 (no range provided; specialist daily salary, $41.64 (29.36-105.3); family practitioner daily salary, $26.37 (19.73-63.60); nurse daily salary, $15.66 (11.84-38.27); health worker daily salary, $10.86 (8.12-26.14).

†Event took place during first admission. ‡Range for sensitivity analysis was a half to two times more than stated value.

• Compared with no treatment, the incremental cost per QALY gained with primary prevention ranged in the six regions from $746 to $890 for patients with a 10-year absolute risk of 25% or more; from $790 to $930 with a 10-year absolute risk of 15% or more; and from $1,039 to $1,221 with a 10-year absolute risk of 5% or more.

CONCLUSION Early preventative care leads to an improved quality of life

If you have a familial history with heart disease, it is better to practice preventative measures early

Preventative measures less costly

Older patients who have experienced a silent heart attack will still have improved quality of life if detected so future ones can be prevented

Incremental quality of life improvement for those who have had a heart attack and have all underlying causes

Improved quality of life can lead to less spent on health care expenditure