Cardiovascular diseases are the most expensive group of diseases
in Australia with direct health care spending on cardiovascular
diseases amounting to almost $6 billion in 2004-05, according to a
report released today by the Australian Institute of Health and
Welfare.
The report, Health care expenditure on cardiovascular diseases
2004-05, showed that substantially more is spent on males ($321 per
person) than on females ($261 per person) in the treatment and
management of diseases such as coronary heart disease and
stroke.
'Much of this difference is due to higher rates of
cardiovascular disease among males than females and relates to
expenditure on hospitalisations,' explained John Woodall of the
Institute's Cardiovascular, Diabetes and Kidney Unit.
'However, differences in the diagnosis, treatment, care and
course of these diseases between sexes may also be factors in the
difference in spending between men and women,' he said.
By comparison, expenditure on oral health was $5,305 million,
followed by expenditure related to mental disorders ($4,128
million) and musculoskeletal conditions ($3,956 million).
The report also showed that spending increases with age, with
the most per-person spending on people over 85 years of age.
Spending on hospital-admitted patients accounted for
approximately half of all expenditure on cardiovascular
diseases.
Prescription pharmaceuticals were the next most expensive area
of expenditure (28%), followed by out-of-hospital medical services
(19%) and research (3%).
Canberra, 5 December 2008
Further information: John Woodall, tel. 02 6244
1086, mob. 0418 271 395
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. (02) 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications area
for the availability of Health care expenditure
on cardiovascular diseases 2004-05.