The economic impact of multiple sclerosis to the patients and their families in Norway

Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) imposes high economic costs on society, but the patients and their families have to bear some of these costs. Objective We aimed to estimate the magnitude of these economic costs in Norway. Method We collected data through a postal questionnaire survey targeting 92...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of health economics 2018-12, Vol.19 (9), p.1243-1257
Main Authors: Svendsen, B., Grytten, N., Bø, L., Aarseth, H., Smedal, T., Myhr, K-M.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Cost of Illness
Costs
Economic impact
Economic Policy
Families & family life
Family Health - economics
Female
Health Care Management
Health Economics
Health Expenditures - statistics & numerical data
Humans
Male
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Middle Aged
Models, Econometric
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple Sclerosis - economics
Norway
Original Research
Patients
Pharmacoeconomics and Health Outcomes
Public Finance
Public Health
Questionnaires
Surveys and Questionnaires
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Background Multiple sclerosis (MS) imposes high economic costs on society, but the patients and their families have to bear some of these costs. Objective We aimed to estimate the magnitude of these economic costs in Norway. Method We collected data through a postal questionnaire survey targeting 922 MS patients in Hordaland County, western Norway, in 2013-2014; 546 agreed to participate and were included. The questionnaire included clinical and demographic characteristics, volume and cost of MS-related resource use, work participation, income, government financial support, and disability status. Results The mean annual total economic costs for the patients and their families were 11,603. Indirect costs accounted for 66% and were lower for women than for men. The direct costs were nearly identical for men and women. The costs increased up to Expanded Disability Status Scale score 6 except for steps between 3 and 4 where it remained nearly constant. The costs reduced from EDSS 6 to 8, and increased from 8 to 9. Lifetime costs ranged from 24,897 to 70,021 for patients with late disease onset and slow progression, and between 441,934 and 574,860 for patients with early onset and rapid progression. Conclusion The economic costs of MS impose a heavy burden on the patients and their families. Supplementing the information on the cost of MS to society, our finding should be included as background information in decisions on reimbursing and allocating public resources for the well-being of MS patients and their families.
ISSN:1618-7598
1618-7601
DOI:10.1007/s10198-018-0971-5