Health‐care resource use and costs associated with diabetic and idiopathic gastroparesis: A claims analysis of the first 3 years following the diagnosis of gastroparesis

BACKGROUND: Due to limited treatment options, many patients with diabetic gastroparesis (DG) or idiopathic gastroparesis (IG) experience inadequate symptom control resulting in increased health‐care resource utilization (HRU) and associated costs. We compared all‐cause HRU and health‐care costs over the 3 years after patients’ first gastroparesis diagnosis with that of matched controls without gastroparesis. METHODS: Newly diagnosed adults with DG or IG were identified in Optum's de‐identified Clinformatics(®) Data Mart Database (Q1‐2007 to Q1‐2019). Patients with DG/IG were matched 1:1 to controls using a mixed approach of exact matching and propensity score matching. The index date was the first gastroparesis diagnosis for cases or randomly selected for controls. All‐cause HRU and direct health‐care costs per person‐year (PPY) were compared between DG/IG cases and controls in Years 1–3 post‐index. KEY RESULTS: Demographics and comorbidities were balanced between patients with gastroparesis (n = 18,015 [DG]; n = 14,305 [IG]) and controls. In each of the Years 1–3 post‐index, patients with DG or IG had significantly higher annual HRU and costs versus controls (mean total cost differences PPY: DG Year 1 $34,885, Year 2 $28,071, Year 3 $25,606; IG Year 1 $23,176, Year 2 $16,627, Year 3 $14,396) (all p < 0.05). Across all 3 years, DG/IG cohorts had approximately twice the costs of controls. HRU and costs were highest in Year 1 post‐index for both DG and IG. CONCLUSIONS & INFERENCES: The economic burden of gastroparesis remains high several years after diagnosis, emphasizing the need for chronic treatment to effectively manage symptoms and consequently reduce the burden of this disorder.