Objective:

To estimate the health care costs associated with patients that develop coronary events associated with risk factors (hypertension, diabetes, and hypercholesterolaemia), as well as the cost as regards the time of onset after such event, in the Colombian context.

Methods:

A retrospective, descriptive study was conducted using the Per-capita Payment Unit (UPC) sufficiency databases of two Colombian insurance companies. Patients were identified that presented with a cardiac event during the year 2014, and their medical history was confirmed (risk factors). The rate of presenting with coronary events in the population was established and the reported costs associated with the procedures practiced during a one-year period were extracted. The costs were organised by categories into different time cut-offs from the presentation of the event.

Results:

A total of 2,103 patients were found with coronary events, of which 583 had arterial hypertension, 354 with dyslipidaemia, and 198 patients with diabetes, as medical history. The total average cost a year of the coronary event was (COP$23,454,569.95), with no previously diagnosed risk it was (COP$23,848,023.32), and with a treated medical history it was (COP$17,040,335.95), (COP$22,075,708.19) and (COP$28,825,710.71) for dyslipidaemia, arterial hypertension, and diabetes, respectively.

Conclusions:

A patient without an early diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases or risk factors, on presenting with a coronary event, incurs higher costs in the therapeutic management of the event than one previously diagnosed and receives treatment for it.

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