Costs of allergic diseases from birth to two years in Finland.

Objectives: Costing studies are needed to identify the resources used for treatment and inform payers of the costs incurred. The objectives were to determine the costs of diagnosing and treating atopic dermatitis, food allergy and asthma, and to compare the share of costs to society and to the family during the first two years of life.

Study Design: The data were obtained from an ongoing mother-infant nutrition study.

Monetary value of lost productivity over a five year follow up in early rheumatoid arthritis estimated on the basis of official register data on patients' sickness absence and gross income: experience from the FIN-RACo trial.

Objective: To explore the monetary value of rheumatoid arthritis related loss of productivity in patients with early active disease.

Methods: In a prospective cohort substudy of the FIN-RACo Trial, 162 patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis, aged 18 to 65 years and available to the workforce, were followed up for five years. Loss of work productivity in euros 2002 was estimated by data on absence for sickness and on income (human capital approach) from official databases.

An economic evaluation of intermittent cyclosporin A therapy versus UVAB phototherapy in the treatment of patients with severe atopic dermatitis.

We performed a cost-effective evaluation of cyclosporin A versus UVAB phototherapy in the treatment of severe atopic dermatitis. The analysis was based on a one-year open prospective clinical trial conducted in Finland and showed that patients who received intermittent cyclosporin A therapy had on average 191 remission days per year, i.e.

Smoking-related costs among 25 to 59 year-old males in a 19-year individual follow-up.

Objective: To estimate the health care expenditure and productivity losses due to smoking.

Design: A retrospective cohort study of a random population sample of 5,247 men aged 25-59 years from the provinces of Kuopio and North Karelia in eastern Finland. Subjects initially surveyed in 1972 were linked to a set of national registers through their social security identification numbers and followed for 19 years.

Cost effectiveness of oral terbinafine (Lamisil) compared with oral fluconazole (Diflucan) in the treatment of patients with toenail onychomycosis.

Objective: To determine the cost effectiveness of terbinafine (Lamisil) tablets compared with fluconazole (Diflucan) capsules in the treatment of patients with toenail onychomycosis.

Methods: Data from a randomised, double-blind, double-dummy, multicentre study were used as the basis for this study. Terbinafine 250 mg/day for 12 weeks (n = 48) was compared with fluconazole 150mg once weekly for 12 weeks (n = 45) or 24 weeks (n = 44) in patients with culture-confirmed toenail onychomycosis caused by dermatophyte infection.

Cost-effectiveness of an innovative four-year post-discharge programme for elderly patients--prospective follow-up of hospital and nursing home use in project elderly and randomized controls.

The cost-effectiveness of a post-discharge programme on the use of hospital care and the continuity of care was assessed in an elderly cohort (n = 204) discharged from the city hospital. The participation rate was 97.6%, and the patients were aged 75 years or over and lived alone.

Quality-of-life measures and clinical parameters in asthmatics during three year follow-up.

Two types of health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) index, the disease-specific St George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) and the generic 15D, were compared for indication of HRQoL changes and correlation with clinical parameters in 157 newly diagnosed asthmatics. The asthmatics were treated with inhaled anti-inflammatory therapy. Measurements at baseline, and after one and three years treatment.

Does prevention of cardiovascular diseases lead to decreased cost of illness? Twenty years of experience from Finland.

Background: During the past 20 years the age-standardized cardiovascular disease mortality rate has declined in Finland by 50%. The aim of this study was to examine the social cost consequences of this decline.

Methods: The prevalence-based cost-of-illness analysis was applied to estimate both direct and indirect costs of cardiovascular disease in 5-year intervals from 1972 to 1992 (in 1992 prices).

The demand for tobacco products in Finland.

Four time-series models are introduced for analysing the demand for addictive substances. The models are applied to estimate the demand for tobacco products in Finland. Separate models were found appropriate for different products.

Re-organizing primary medical care in Finland: the personal doctor program.

This article reports the results of an evaluation of the 'Personal Doctor Program' in Finland, a demonstration project to re-structure the primary medical activities of general practitioners within publicly operated health centers. The goal of the personal doctor program is to achieve the clinical advantages and performance incentives of enrolling each citizen on a specific general practitioners's list, but within the broader team-based and demographic responsibility framework of a primary health center. The background and methodology of the project is presented, followed by the methodology and analysis of the evaluation itself.

Price, policy and consumption of tobacco: the Finnish experience.

This paper demonstrates that while price policy provides a powerful tool for deterring tobacco consumption, the objectives of general economic policy may hamper its effective usage. It is shown that even comprehensive legislative and administrative actions may be ineffective unless they are supported by price measures.