Costs of brain disorders in Finland.
OBJECTIVE
To calculate the costs of brain disorders on the national level.


METHODS
Electronic data bases, national registers and internet data.


RESULTS
Any brain disorder was estimated to affect a fifth of the Finnish population. The three most common disorders were migraine, anxiety disorder and affective disorder. The total costs of brain disorders constituted 3% of the national gross product, or 45% of all the health-care costs. However, this is likely a conservative estimate, because not all chronic brain disorders and not all costs were included. Of the total costs of brain disorders, 32% were for direct health care, 23% for indirect medical care and 45% for indirect costs. Dementia was the most costly individual brain disorder followed by addiction and affective disorders. Most costly per case were brain tumours and multiple sclerosis.


CONCLUSIONS
Brain disorders constitute a costly part of the population's health costs. Directed preventive measures are needed to counteract the population morbidity and to control the increasing cost pressure in health care.
Sillanpää
M
M
Departments of Public Health and Child Neurology, University of Turku, Turku, Finland. matti.sillanpaa@utu.fi
Andlin-Sobocki
P
P
Lönnqvist
J
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003704:Dementia / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005387:Finland / Q000453:epidemiology; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D010300:Parkinson Disease / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D020521:Stroke / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology