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Table 3 Evaluation of direct and indirect costs associated with CSU
| Evaluation of costs |
|---|
| Data sources |
| • Medical record abstraction form |
| • Patient survey |
| Unit costs |
| Country-specific unit cost estimates will be applied where available, using standard national sources, e.g., |
| • UK National Health Service Reference Costs |
| • German Einheitlicher Bewertungsmaßstab (Uniform Rating Scale) |
| • National drug formularies |
| • National average wage statistics |
| Direct health care costs (all CSU-related) |
| • Physician visits, including private practice visits |
| • Emergency room visits |
| • Hospitalizations |
| • Therapies (including drugs, alternative medicine and out-of-pocket expenses) |
| • Laboratory tests |
| • Transportation costs |
| Indirect costs (employed patients; CSU-related) |
| • Lost productivity due to sick leave and early retirement (analyzed using the friction cost approach) |
| • Reduced productivity due to reduced performance at work (presenteeism) |
