Introduction: An important component of cost effectiveness models in the field of osteoporosis is the set of Health State Utility Values (HSUVs) used for key fracture outcomes. This paper presents a review of HSUVs for key osteoporotic states (hip, wrist, shoulder, clinical, and morphometric vertebral fractures, established osteoporosis, and interaction of several fractures). It provides an update to the systematic review conducted by Brazier et al. (Osteoporos Int 13(10):768-776, 2002).
Materials and methods: A systematic search was undertaken of the main literature databases for HSUVs for established osteoporosis, vertebral, hip, wrist, and shoulder fractures were identified. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria were reviewed in terms of the patient population, the method of describing health (if not obtained directly from patients), the method of valuing health states and the source of values.
Results: Estimates of Health State Utility Values were found across the osteoporosis conditions from 27 studies. A wide range of empirical estimates were found, partly due to differences in valuation technique (VAS, SG, TTO), descriptive system and differences in respondents (population or patient), the perspective of the task (own health or a scenario), sample size, and study quality.
Conclusion: The paper provides a set of multipliers representing the loss in HSUVs for use as a "reference case" in cost-effectiveness models.