A review of cost of illness in Alzheimer’s research

Abstract

This study provides an vidence of the cost drivers of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) across care settings and associated factors. In total, 14 studies from different systematic reviews of cost-of-illness (COI) studies in AD were published from 1998 to 2017. PubMed (Medline), Embase, PsycInfo, and Cochrane Library were selected to search. The total annual cost for AD is up to US$73,986.9 per patient. The highest nursing home cost for each level of AD was US$25632.9, US$30,469.2, and US$74,457.8. In the included studies, the informal cost was the main cost driver due to nursing home care/social care and loss of leisure time rather than direct medical costs (inpatient and outpatient care). The results of this review underline the significant economic burden of AD for patients, families, and healthcare systems, and thus, recommending further health policy planning in AD should clearly define cost components and separate estimates by care setting and disease severity.