Treating AIDS: the economic issues.

It is now clear that AIDS is not only a disease of great social concern, but also has major resource implications. A number of analyses of the costs of caring for AIDS sufferers have already been published, relating mainly to the U.S.A. These present a confusing picture to the policy maker as the estimates vary greatly. In addition, treatment patterns are changing rapidly, with consequent impact on costs. Therefore this paper reviews the evidence on the costs of treating AIDS, comparing European data with those from the U.S.A. It also investigates the reasons for variations in cost estimates, the likely impact of changing treatment patterns and the relative 'value for money' from treatment of AIDS, compared with other health care interventions.