Number of contacts per 1,000 inhabitants, 50 years and older
Nationally, the number of contacts per year increased from 61,000 in 2015 to approximately 138,000 in 2023. The number of contacts was more than doubled from 2015 to 2023 while the number of patients in treatment was doubled in the same period. This means that the number of contacts per patient increased from 5.5 in 2015 to 6.3 in 2023. This is in accordance with the findings of Husum et al. 2023, who examined the use of injection treatment from 2011 to 2021.
Injection treatment is relevant for patients with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), diabetic retinopathy, and vein occlusion. Nationally, the proportion of contacts with the diagnosis AMD decreased from about 78 % in 2015 to 73 % in 2023. However, in some referral areas, the proportion of contacts with the diagnosis AMD has increased during the period. In the catchment areas of Bergen and Stavanger, the proportion of contacts with a diagnosis of diabetic retinopathy or vein occlusion was very low in 2023.
The two most used drugs are bevacizumab and aflibercept. Bevacizumab has significantly lower costs and is the first choice in most places (Husum et al. 2023). Nationally, the proportion of contacts with the drug aflibercept increased from 46 % in 2015 to 56 % in 2020, and then decreased to 50 % in 2023. The proportion of contacts with aflibercept was highest in the Sørlandet referral area (67.5 % of contacts) and lowest in the Stavanger referral area (38 % of contacts) in 2023.
The analysis is based on activity data from the Norwegian Patient Register (NPR) for somatic specialist health services. The data includes activity in public hospitals and private hospitals that provide publicly funded services. Data from specialists under public funding contracts are not included, as this treatment is only provided in hospitals.
The sample consists of contacts for patients aged 50 years or older registered with a primary or secondary diagnosis of age-related macular degeneration, AMD (H35.3), venous occlusion (H34.8 or H34.9), or diabetic retinopathy (H36.0, E10.3, or E11.3) in combination with procedure code CKD05.
The drug aflibercept is identified using a special code (1LA05 or S01LA05).
When a contact is registered with two or more of the relevant diagnosis codes (e.g., AMD as the primary condition and venous occlusion as the secondary condition), the primary diagnosis is chosen.
The place of treatment is divided into three categories:
In order to compare the catchment areas and between years, the rates have been adjusted for gender and age. The adjustment was done using the direct method with the population in 2023 as the reference population.
SKDE is solely responsible for the interpretation and presentation of the data provided by NPR. FHI/NPR is not responsible for analyses or interpretations based on the data.
All of the data used in the charts for this analysis can be downloaded as a CSV file.
