Brown Melissa M, Brown Gary C, Sharma Sanjay, Stein Joshua D, Roth Zachary, Campanella Joseph, Beauchamp George R
Center for Value-Based Medicine, Flourtown 19031, USA.
Curr Opin Ophthalmol. 2006 Jun;17(3):257-66. doi: 10.1097/01.icu.0000193079.55240.18.
The quality-of-life loss and the financial consequences associated with age-related macular degeneration are assessed.
The quality-of-life loss associated with macular degeneration is markedly underestimated by the general public, nonophthalmic physicians, and ophthalmologists who treat patients with this condition. Mild age-related macular degeneration causes a 17% decrement in the quality of life of the average patient, similar to that encountered with moderate cardiac angina or symptomatic human immunodeficiency virus syndrome. Moderate age-related macular degeneration causes a 40% decrease in the average patient's quality of life, similar to that associated with severe cardiac angina or renal dialysis. Very severe age-related macular degeneration causes a large 63% decrease in the average patient's quality of life, similar to that encountered with end-stage prostatic cancer or a catastrophic stroke that leaves a person bedridden, incontinent and requiring constant nursing care. The return on investment is high for both treatment with current age-related macular degeneration therapies and the research costs invested in the development of age-related macular degeneration treatment modalities.
Age-related macular degeneration is a major public health problem that has a devastating effect upon patients and marked adverse financial consequences for the economy.
评估与年龄相关性黄斑变性相关的生活质量损失和经济后果。
黄斑变性相关的生活质量损失被普通公众、非眼科医生以及治疗该病患者的眼科医生严重低估。轻度年龄相关性黄斑变性导致普通患者生活质量下降17%，类似于中度心绞痛或有症状的人类免疫缺陷病毒综合征。中度年龄相关性黄斑变性导致普通患者生活质量下降40%，类似于严重心绞痛或肾透析。极重度年龄相关性黄斑变性导致普通患者生活质量大幅下降63%，类似于晚期前列腺癌或导致人卧床不起、大小便失禁且需要持续护理的灾难性中风。目前年龄相关性黄斑变性治疗方法的治疗以及投入到年龄相关性黄斑变性治疗方式研发中的研究成本的投资回报率都很高。
年龄相关性黄斑变性是一个重大的公共卫生问题，对患者有毁灭性影响，对经济有明显的不利经济后果。
