title: The economic burden of epilepsy in a sample of people with epilepsy in China.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Epilepsy causes a significant burden to both patients as well as society. The primary aim of this study was to calculate the factual excess costs of epilepsy in China in order to provide essential information regarding the treatment of the epilepsy for both individuals and society as a whole.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was performed on a retrospective cohort of medically treated patients. Data collected from 500 patients were analyzed in a standardized format, and included clinical characteristics, utilization of sources as well as the associated costs of epilepsy.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on our analyses, a modest estimate of the direct cost of epilepsy in China is roughly RMB 3860 (USD 594) per person per year. The main expenditures included treatment cost followed by the cost of living and inpatient care. The cost of informal treatment accounted for roughly 41% of all costs. The excess expenditures were similar for gender and the living place; however, our findings suggest that the composition proportions were different.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings demonstrate that epilepsy has a significant impact on individual medical expenditure, and places a heavy economic burden to both patients and the nation of China. Therefore, appropriate treatment and management of epilepsy must be assessed not only to increase quality of life, but also to consider the financial implications of the prescribed treatments for this disease.
authors.affiliation: Ward three of Bayi Brain Hospital, The Military General Hospital of Beijing People's Liberation Army, No. 5, Nan Men Cang, Beijing 100700, China.
authors.forename: Jianming
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Zhiliang
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Fanxin
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Meng
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002681:China / Q000208:ethnology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D017281:Cost of Illness; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000191:economics* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D055815:Young Adult