TY  - JOUR
A1  - Willems, Laurent M.
A1  - Hochbaum, Maja
A1  - Frey, Katharina
A1  - Schulz, Juliane
A1  - Menzler, Katja
A1  - Langenbruch, Lisa Marie
A1  - Kovać, Stjepana
A1  - Immisch, Ilka
A1  - Podewils, Felix von
A1  - Hamacher, Mario
A1  - Siebenbrodt, Kai
A1  - Rosenow, Felix
A1  - Reese, Jens-Peter
A1  - Strzelczyk, Adam
T1  - Multicenter, cross-sectional study of the costs of illness and cost-driving factors in adult patients with epilepsy
T2  - Epilepsia
N2  - Objective: This study was undertaken to quantify epilepsy-related costs of illness (COI) in Germany and identify cost-driving factors.
Methods: COI were calculated among adults with epilepsy of different etiologies and severities. Multiple regression analysis was applied to determine any epilepsy-related and sociodemographic factors that serve as cost-driving factors.
Results: In total, 486 patients were included, with a mean age of 40.5 ± 15.5 years (range = 18–83 years, 58.2% women). Mean 3-month COI were estimated at €4911, €2782, and €2598 for focal, genetic generalized, and unclassified epilepsy, respectively. The mean COI for patients with drug-refractory epilepsy (DRE; €7850) were higher than those for patients with non-DRE (€4720), patients with occasional seizures (€3596), or patients with seizures in remission for >1 year (€2409). Identified cost-driving factors for total COI included relevant disability (unstandardized regression coefficient b = €2218), poorer education (b = €2114), living alone (b = €2612), DRE (b = €1831), and frequent seizures (b = €2385). Younger age groups of 18–24 years (b = −€2945) and 25–34 years (b = −€1418) were found to have lower overall expenditures. A relevant disability (b = €441), DRE (b = €1253), frequent seizures (b = €735), and the need for specialized daycare (b = €749) were associated with higher direct COI, and poorer education (b = €1969), living alone (b = €2612), the presence of a relevant disability (b = €1809), DRE (b = €1831), and frequent seizures (b = €2385) were associated with higher indirect COI.
Significance: This analysis provides up-to-date COI data for use in further health economics analyses, highlighting the high economic impacts associated with disease severity, disability, and disease-related loss of productivity among adult patients with epilepsy. The identified cost drivers could be used as therapeutic and socioeconomic targets for future cost-containment strategies.
KW  - antiseizure medication
KW  - burden of illness
KW  - cost containment
KW  - HEOR
KW  - seizures
Y1  - 2022
UR  - http://publikationen.ub.uni-frankfurt.de/frontdoor/index/index/docId/75343
UR  - https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hebis:30:3-753437
SN  - 1528-1167
N1  - This study was supported by the State of Hessen, Germany, via the LOEWE grant for the Center for Personalized, Translational Epilepsy Research at Goethe University Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. Open access funding enabled and organized by ProjektDEAL.
VL  - 63
IS  - 4
SP  - 904
EP  - 918
PB  - Wiley-Blackwell
CY  - Oxford [u.a.]
ER  -