Health economic analysis of seizure-related emergency visits of pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy in Japan

Abstract

This study estimates the cost of emergency transport and the total cost of medical care for pediatric patients with drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) in Japan. We perform a retrospective analysis of patients aged less than 18 years with DRE. We use a health insurance claims database to identify the patients. The data are combined with published information, including government statistics and prior studies. We calculate the median medical cost for these patients after emergency and the cost per emergency transport service using recent data published by the Fire and Disaster Management Agency and calculation logic. The cost per emergency transport service is approximately 138,600 yen. Additionally, the cost of emergency transport for pediatric patients with DRE and the total medical cost in Japan are approximately 511,949,800 and 597,536,619 yen per year, respectively. This study is among the first to estimate the annual costs of seizure-related emergency transport and medical care for pediatric patients with DRE in Japan. These estimates can serve as baseline data for use in future assessments of the cost-effectiveness of acute medical care in this population.