Background:

In Mexico, the economic burden of medical care for patients with atopic dermatitis is unknown.

Objective:

To determine the annual direct medical costs of the treatment for patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis who receive medical attention at “Instituto de Seguridad y Servicios Sociales de los Trabajadores del Estado” (Institute for Social Security and Social Services for State Workers, better known as ISSSTE), as well as the main variables associated with it.

Methods:

A multicenter, retrospective cohort study. Clinical records of patients with moderate to severe atopic dermatitis were reviewed and a multivariate analysis was designed by using a generalized linear model.

Results:

65 patients were included; 41 of them (63.07 %) had moderate atopic dermatitis, and 24 (36.92 %) had severe AD; 39 (60 %) of them were female patients. In groups with severe atopic dermatitis, statistically significant differences were observed in matters of the duration of the evolution of the disease, comorbidities, intense pruritus, and depression. The average annual cost of medical care for patients with moderate atopic dermatitis was 1527 ± 623 USD, and for patients with severe atopic dermatitis the cost was 9487 ± 8990 USD. Significant differences were observed in dermatology consultations, referrals, laboratory and diagnostic studies, and the number of drugs prescribed by physicians. With the multivariate analysis, it was identified that the highest cost was presented by severe patients (p = 0.0001) who were younger and had comorbidities, along with diagnosis of depression.

Conclusions:

The severity of atopic dermatitis, the age average, the presence of comorbidities, and the diagnosis of depression are the variables with the highest association and impact on the direct cost of medical care.