Burcu Demirhan KAPICIOĞLU, Nazif ELALDI
Sağlık Hizmetleri Araştırma Dergisi - 2026;4(1):31-41
Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is endemic to Türkiye and is commonly seen among rural residents and agricultural workers. An intense application to clinics between April and October creates an additional cost for Türkiye and similar countries. This study examined the direct treatment costs of 260 patients who were followed up for CCHF in Sivas Cumhuriyet University, Infectious Diseases and Clinical Microbiology Clinical Service between 2013 and 2015. The patients were divided into three groups: low, intermediate, and high risk of death according to the severity grading score defined previously. This severity grading score was evaluated and compared with other studies to understand the relationship between different risk groups and estimate the hospital costs of the groups. It was determined that the mean age of the patients included in the study was 50 (limits) (36-63) years, and they stayed in the clinic for an average of 6 (4-8) days. The difference between the age distributions of the patients' low and intermediate/high-risk groups was insignificant (p=0.103). Similarly, there was no significant difference between the duration of hospital stay according to risk groups (p=0.279). It was seen that low-risk group patients cost 189 USD per person, intermediate and high-risk group patients 488 USD per person, and the median cost per person of patients was calculated as 240 USD (145-488). The difference between the groups was significant in terms of direct treatment costs of the patients (p<0.001). The mortality rate of all patients included in the study was calculated as 6.9%, and it was found to be 2.92% in the low-risk group and 14.6% in the intermediate/high-risk group (p<0.001). A significant difference was found between the mortality rates of the groups. As a result of the study, it was determined that Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever patients cause a severe cost and what these cost items consist of. It was thought that the Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic Fever severity grading score, which was defined previously, could estimate disease severity and health costs.
