Nephrology
The costs of dialysis for renal failure are escalating because of the increasing numbers of patients (for example, 360,000 in United States in 2009) and costs of life year extensions, which range from $77,250 to $88,660 and do not include the cost of renal transplantation and hospitalization.[48] In contrast, home dialysis programs are much less costly and just as effective. However, longer intervals between regular hemodialysis sessions are associated with higher mortality and hospital admissions.[49] Recent cost concerns have been raised about the necessity of using expensive epogens (for instance, erythropoetins), rather than blood transfusions, to treat the anemia of uremia in patients with renal failure. There are also concerns that epogens may cause acute coronary syndromes.[50]
J Community Health. 2012;37(4):888-896. © 2012 Springer
Springer Science+Business Media
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