Cost-utility analysis of von Willebrand disease screening in adolescents with menorrhagia.

OBJECTIVE

To construct a decision analysis model to evaluate the cost utility of von Willebrand disease (VWD) testing in adolescents with menorrhagia.

STUDY DESIGN

A 20-year Markov decision analytic model was constructed to evaluate the cost utility of two strategies: testing or not testing for VWD. The model includes probabilities of remaining well, suffering an acute menorrhagia bleeding event, surgical complications, oral contraceptive pill complications, or dying. Probabilities, costs, and utilities were estimated from published literature. The prevalence of type 1 VWD in adolescent females with menorrhagia was estimated at 13%.

RESULTS

The cost of testing adolescents with menorrhagia for VWD was $1790, versus $1251 for not testing for VWD. The effectiveness of not testing in quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) gained (14.237 QALYs) was similar to the VWD testing strategy (14.246 QALYs). Compared with not testing for VWD, screening for VWD had an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $62,791 per QALY, a value typically considered economically reasonable.

CONCLUSIONS

In adolescents with menorrhagia, testing for VWD before the initiation of oral contraceptives is cost-effective.