Research on Heterogeneity of Infectious Diseases’ Problem in Ageing Adults
Along with the trend of ageing populations, the proportion of individuals aged 65 years and older is rising in Europe. As a consequence the pressure on the healthcare system and related costs increases since more individuals are in need of care.
Work Package 3 is currently working on a paper related to the use of heterogeneity in health-economic evaluations of infectious disease prevention. A publication is planned for later this year, based on an extensive literature review and a comparison with current health-economic evaluations. Multiple recommendations will be made on future incorporation of heterogeneity in the evaluation of infectious diseases in ageing adults.
Heterogeneity related to risk factors of infectious diseases in ageing adults is important to identify in order to be able to conduct reliable and realistic evaluations. The elderly population should not be considered as one homogenous group. The group has differences in immune responses due to differences in exposure to infection, preventive and treatment strategies and risk factors of acquiring an infection upon exposure. Identification of heterogeneity of a population can influence the clinical outcome of infectious diseases by implementing targeted prevention strategies. It also can help to understand the spread of infectious diseases in the population. In literature the level of heterogeneity that impacts the risk of acquiring an infectious disease in older adults is underexposed as a theme. Only a few published studies are available on internal and/or external factors that affect the occurrence of infectious disease, prognosis and the effect of an intervention.
About Work Package 3
Work Package 3 investigates how the full economic impact of the current management of infectious diseases in aging adults can be measured and reported in a transparent and convincing way to optimally communicate with decision makers. It also analyzes what the impact of new preventive interventions could be on optimizing the management of infectious diseases by reaching maximum gains in outcomes working with budget, logistics, tax payment and demographic change. Read more about Work Package 3
