An exploratory analysis of healthcare costs and utilization of pediatric patients with Crohn's disease.

Objective: To evaluate the healthcare costs and resource utilization associated with pediatric Crohn's disease (PCD) from a payer perspective.

Methods: A retrospective analysis was conducted using claims from 1 January 2003 through 31 December 2006 from the HealthCare Partners database. Patients were younger than 18 years of age, had a new diagnosis of PCD, and continuous health plan eligibility 6 months before and 12 months after the disease index date (the date of the first claim with a PCD diagnosis).