Cost-Effectiveness Analysis of Zinc Supplementation For The Treatment of Acute Diarrheal Disease in Children Under 5 Years of Age in Colombia.

OBJECTIVE:: To determine the cost-effectiveness of zinc supplementation for the treatment of acute diarrheal disease (ADD) in children under five years of age in Colombia. METHODOLOGY:: Cost-effectiveness analysis from the perspective of the Colombian Health System. The standard treatment with the addition of zinc was compared to the standard treatment without zinc in children under five years of age. The time horizon was one month. Effectiveness was extracted from a systematic review of literature. The specific data for Colombia were taken from local databases and observational studies. To determine the costs, a typical case was constructed by reviewing guidelines and medical records and validated by experts. To evaluate the resources consumed, Colombian tariff manuals were used. Costs were stated in Colombian pesos (COP) and US dollars (USD) for 2010. Deterministic sensitivity analysis was performed to evaluate the impact of changes in cost and effectiveness of the strategies on the results from the model. RESULTS:: The results from the model indicate that zinc supplementation is a dominant strategy; it is less costly and more effective than standard treatment without zinc (reduction of $15,210 COP -8.14 USD- per child). The results are sensitive to changes in the probability of hospitalization and of persistent diarrhea. CONCLUSIONS:: Zinc for the treatment of ADD is a highly cost-effective strategy and is recommended for inclusion in the benefit plan of the Colombian Health System. This intervention is more cost-effective in children with a higher risk of persistent diarrhea and hospitalization.