Economic evaluation of new blood pressure target for hypertensive patients in Taiwan according to the 2022 hypertension clinical practice guidelines of the Taiwan society of cardiology: a simulation modeling study

Chia Te Liao, Han Siong Toh, Chun Ting Yang, Chien Yi Hsu, Mei Chuan Lee, Wei Ting Chang, Zhih Cherng Chen, Hung Yu Chang, Carol Strong

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

1 Citation (Scopus)

Abstract

With the promising cardiovascular benefits in the STEP and SPRINT trials, the 2022 Taiwan’s hypertension guidelines redefined the hypertension threshold as 130/80 mmHg and a universal blood-pressure target of <130/80 mmHg. This study’s objective was to examine the cost-effectiveness of the intensive blood-pressure target for hypertensive patients using estimated lifetime medical costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALY) from the Taiwan national payer’s perspective. We developed a lifetime Markov model comparing the intensive and conservative blood-pressure targets. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) against the willing-to-pay thresholds at the one-time [US$34,000(NT$1,020,000)] and three-time [US$100,000(NT$3,000,000)] gross domestic product per capita were defined as very cost-effect and only cost-effective. The cost-effectiveness in different age stratifications and cardiovascular risks treated with a more intensive target (120 mmHg) were examined in the subgroup analyses. The new blood-pressure treatment target produced more lifetime medical costs [US$31,589(NT$947,670) versus US$26,788(NT$803,640)] and QALYs (12.54 versus 12.25), and the ICER was US$16,589(NT$497,670), which was 99.1% and 100% probability of a very cost-effective and cost-effective strategy. The ICERs in all age stratifications had more than a 90% probability of being very cost-effective, and ICERs decreased with age. More intensive control in patients with high cardiovascular risks produced a lower ICER [US$14,547(NT$436,410)]. In conclusion, Taiwan’s new blood-pressure treatment target can prevent more cardiovascular events with acceptable costs per QALY below the willing-to-pay thresholds. The cost-effectiveness of intensive control is consistent across different ages and more pronounced with the increase in age and cardiovascular risk.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)187-199
Number of pages13
JournalHypertension Research
Volume46
Issue number1
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2023 Jan

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • Internal Medicine
  • Physiology
  • Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine

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