هزینه های بیماری و مراقبت در بیماری پارکینسون: ارزیابی در شش کشور

We investigated the costs of Parkinson's Disease (PD) in 486 patients based on a survey conducted in six countries. Economic data were collected over a 6-month period and presented from the societal perspective. The total mean costs per patient ranged from EUR 2620 to EUR 9820. Direct costs totalled about 60% to 70% and indirect costs about 30% to 40% of total costs. The proportions of costs components of PD vary notably; variations were due to differences in country-specific health system characteristics, macro economic conditions, as well as frequencies of resource use and price differences. However, inpatient care, long-term care and medication were identified as the major expenditures in the investigated countries.

Parkinson's Disease (PD) is among the most common neurodegenerative diseases. PD is characterized by bradykinesia, tremor, rigidity and postural instability. Comorbidities such as mental disorders, autonomic dysfunction, difficulties in swallowing and speech as well as sleep impairment may occur during the course of the disease. PD primarily affects the elderly and thus due to population aging has become a rapidly growing area of concern. In Europe, the prevalence of PD is approximately 160 per 100,000 among those aged 65 and older and this number will considerably increase in the coming years (Dorsey et al., 2007 and von Campenhausen et al., 2005). Care for PD patients consumes a considerable amount of health care resources, as current data on costs of PD indicate (Findley et al., 2003, Hagell et al., 2002, Schrag et al., 2000 and Spottke et al., 2005). Only limited data on PD costs are available. In Eastern Europe, Austria and Portugal, data on the economic burden of PD are lacking (Lindgren et al., 2005). The aim of this study was to evaluate the direct and indirect costs of PD using the same methodological approach in order to increase the comparability of the results from different countries. No such comparative studies exist for PD in Europe.