TY  - JOUR
A1  - Willems, Laurent Maximilian
A1  - Hochbaum, Maja
A1  - Zöllner, Johann Philipp
A1  - Schulz, Juliane
A1  - Menzler, Katja
A1  - Langenbruch, Lisa Marie
A1  - Kovać, Stjepana
A1  - Knake, Susanne
A1  - Podewils, Felix von
A1  - Hamacher, Mario
A1  - Hamer, Hajo
A1  - Reese, Jens-Peter
A1  - Frey, Katharina
A1  - Rosenow, Felix
A1  - Strzelczyk, Adam
T1  - Trends in resource utilization and cost of illness in patients with active epilepsy in Germany from 2003 to 2020
T2  - Epilepsia
N2  - Objective: This study was undertaken to calculate epilepsy-related direct, indirect, and total costs in adult patients with active epilepsy (ongoing unprovoked seizures) in Germany and to analyze cost components and dynamics compared to previous studies from 2003, 2008, and 2013. This analysis was part of the Epi2020 study.
Methods: Direct and indirect costs related to epilepsy were calculated with a multicenter survey using an established and validated questionnaire with a bottom-up design and human capital approach over a 3-month period in late 2020. Epilepsy-specific costs in the German health care sector from 2003, 2008, and 2013 were corrected for inflation to allow for a valid comparison.
Results: Data on the disease-specific costs for 253 patients in 2020 were analyzed. The mean total costs were calculated at €5551 (±€5805, median = €2611, range = €274–€21 667) per 3 months, comprising mean direct costs of €1861 (±€1905, median = €1276, range = €327–€13 158) and mean indirect costs of €3690 (±€5298, median = €0, range = €0–€11 925). The main direct cost components were hospitalization (42.4%), antiseizure medication (42.2%), and outpatient care (6.2%). Productivity losses due to early retirement (53.6%), part-time work or unemployment (30.8%), and seizure-related off-days (15.6%) were the main reasons for indirect costs. However, compared to 2013, there was no significant increase of direct costs (−10.0%), and indirect costs significantly increased (p < .028, +35.1%), resulting in a significant increase in total epilepsy-related costs (p < .047, +20.2%). Compared to the 2013 study population, a significant increase of cost of illness could be observed (p = .047).
Significance: The present study shows that disease-related costs in adult patients with active epilepsy increased from 2013 to 2020. As direct costs have remained constant, this increase is attributable to an increase in indirect costs. These findings highlight the impact of productivity loss caused by early retirement, unemployment, working time reduction, and seizure-related days off.
KW  - antiseizure medication
KW  - cost of illness
KW  - economic burden
KW  - health care
KW  - seizure
Y1  - 2022
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/76124
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-761241
N1  - This project was supported by the State of Hesse, Germany, via the LOEWE grant for the Center for Personalized, Translational Epilepsy Research at Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.
N1  - Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL.
VL  - 63
IS  - 6
SP  - 1591
EP  - 1602
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Oxford [u.a.]
ER  -