The epidemiology and direct medical costs of diseases associated with human papillomavirus infection among men in Manitoba, Canada

BackgroundThere is little information on the economic burden of human papillomavirus-related diseases (HPV-RDs) among men. We used province-wide clinical, administrative and accounting databases to measure the direct medical costs of HPV infections in men in Manitoba (Canada). MethodsWe included all males aged 9 years and older with health insurance coverage in Manitoba between January 1997 and December 2016. We identified HPV-RD patient cohorts and matched each patient to HPV-RD-free men. We estimated the net direct medical cost (excess cost of hospitalizations, outpatient visits, and prescription drugs) of patients compared to their matches for anogenital warts (AGWs) and HPV-caused cancers. We adjusted costs to 2017 Canadian dollars. For each condition, we attributed costs to HPV based on the etiological fraction caused by HPV infection. ResultsWe found that the median net direct medical cost was about $250 for AGW patients and $16,000 for invasive cancer patients. The total cost was about $49 million or $2.6 million per year. Overall, 54%-67% ($26-$33 million) was attributable to HPV infection according different estimates of the attributable fraction. The net annual attributable cost was $2.37-$2.95 per male resident and $161-$200 per male newborn. The estimated potential savings was 30% for the bivalent vaccine and 56%-60% for the quadrivalent and nonavalent vaccines. ConclusionsOverall, HPVs economic burden on males remains significant, the average cost of treating all conditions attributable to HPV was about $180 per male newborn. Invasive cancer accounted for the majority of these costs.