Top Ten Most Expensive Medical Conditions

Everyone knows that medical costs have been rapidly rising over the last couple of decades. We have compiled a list of the top ten most costly medical conditions. Surprisingly HIV and cancer are toward the bottom of the list. On the other hand, the cost of keeping someone on a ventilator for 1 year is over a quarter million dollars.

10

HIV

Annual Cost: $25,000

Human Immunodeficiency Virus, better known a HIV, is a very serious condition. Essentially it causes the progressive failure of the immune system. As a result, the body becomes ever more susceptible to opportunistic infections. Ultimately it isn’t HIV that kills you, it is the various infections that occur as a result. The expensive aspect of treating HIV is the massive daily regimen of vitamins, antibiotics, and other medications.

9

Cancer

Annual Cost: $49,000

At nearly double the annual cost of treating HIV, cancer is a very difficult condition to treat. Several common treatments are surgical removal of the cancerous masses, blood transfusions, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Unfortunately, all of these treatments come at a very high cost.

8

Organ Transplant

Annual Cost: $51,000

The cost of an organ transplant is typically quite high. This actual transplant occurs during surgery, typically by highly skilled and trained doctors. Consequently, these doctors come at a very high price. Also, many follow up appointments, antibiotics and pain medications, physical therapy, and sometimes blood transfusions occur for many months following the surgery.

7

Stroke

Annual Cost: $61,000

The high cost of having a stroke comes with the fact nearly 40% of people who have a stroke experience severe impairments and require special care. The majority of the costs of having a stroke are incurred during the first 90 days after having it.

6

Hemophilia

Annual Cost: $62,000

Hemophilia is a group of hereditary genetic disorders that impair the body’s ability to control blood clotting or coagulation. These disorder is actually quite a bit more common than people realize. About 1 in 10,000 people are born with this hemophilia. Besides being very expensive, the good news is, thanks to modern medicine, the disorder can be controlled and a person can experience a high quality of life.

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5

Heart Attack

Annual Cost: $72,000

A heart attack, known as a myocardial infarction to doctors, is the interruption of blood supply to part of the heart muscle, causing heart cells to be damaged or die. This happens usually from a blockage of a coronary artery. A heart attack requires costly emergency medical attention and months of follow ups with doctors. Nearly 50% of heart attacks are caused by smoking, obesity, and lack of exercise.

4

Coronary Artery Disease

Annual Cost: $75,000

About 1 in every 4 deaths in the United States are ultimately linked to coronary artery disease. Ultimately it can lead to a heart attack or stroke. Some of the largest contributing factors to coronary heart disease include diabetes, being overweight or obese, poor diet, being physically inactive, and excessive alcohol use.

3

Neonate

Annual Cost: $101,000

The average of cost of having a baby has dramatically increased over the last decade. All of the medical costs associated with having a baby including pre-birth visits, the actual process of giving birth, and in the months following, add up to more than $100,000 per year. Fortunately for those who have insurance many of these costs are largely covered.

2

End-Stage Renal Disease

Annual Cost: $173,000

Renal disease is a medical condition in which the kidneys stop adequately filtering the blood. The disease manifests itself in two main forms, acute-injury and chronic kidney disease. Typically the end-stage treatment option, if available, is kidney transplant. Up until then usually dialysis is required, which is a machine that filters you blood externally. All of these medical services come with a very high price.

1

Respiratory Failure

Annual Cost: $314,000

A complete respiratory failure refers to not being able to breath on your own anymore. The only treatment solution is to hook someone up to a ventilator, which is a machine that breaths for you. It is required to be hooked up to the machine 24 hours a day and under medical supervision. It isn’t difficult to figure out why this is such a costly medical condition.

 

Featured Image: Flickr by morrissey