title: Treatment experience, burden and unmet needs (TRIBUNE) in MS study: results from Turkey.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the economic burden of multiple sclerosis (MS) in Turkey, including the relapses and disease severity, and to evaluate the quality-of-life of MS patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Treatment Experience, Burden and Unmet Needs (TRIBUNE) study was a multi-national, cross-sectional, retrospective, burden-of-illness survey. Total costs were calculated using unit costs derived from price lists or published literature, where relevant, and inflated to 2011 TL prices.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 295 MS patients (74% females) were included in the analysis. The population had a mean age of 36 years; 73% had the relapsing-remitting form. Mean Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score was 2.2. Twenty-two per cent of the MS patients required hospitalization in the past year and spent an average of 29.2 days/year in hospital. These values were 43% and 5.6 days for the outpatients, respectively. Total cost per patient/year was 18,700 TL (Turkish Lira). Total costs for patients with mild, moderate, and severe disability were 15,418 TL, 26,002 TL, and 44,208 TL per patient/year, respectively. The mean EuroQol 5D scores in the same groups were 0.73, 0.52, and 0.05, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Multiple sclerosis imposes a significant economic burden on patients and society in Turkey.
authors.affiliation: Hacettepe University School of Medicine, Department of Neurology , Ankara , Turkey.
authors.forename: Rana
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Karabudak
authors.forename: Korinna
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karampampa
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Calışkan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005221:Fatigue; D005260:Female; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006296:Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017059:Models, Econometric; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000191:economics*; D020529:Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting / Q000191:economics; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014421:Turkey
keywords: Direct cost; Economic burden; Indirect cost; Multiple sclerosis; Quality-of-life; Turkey