title: Prevalence and cost of epilepsy in Sweden--a register-based approach.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To estimate the prevalence of epilepsy, costs associated with in- and outpatient care, drug utilization and productivity losses due to epilepsy in Sweden for the years 2005 and 2011.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cost components were calculated using registry data on inpatient- and outpatient-care utilization, drug sales and early pensions granted due to permanent disability and mortality. Moreover, by cross-identification of information in healthcare and pharmaceutical registries, we were able to distinguish between pharmaceuticals prescribed for epilepsy and non-epilepsy indications.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The prevalence of epilepsy was estimated at 0.62% in 2005 and 0.88% in 2011. The total cost of epilepsy increased during the same period, while the per-patient cost decreased from €2929 to €1729. Direct medical costs accounted for about 36% of the estimated total cost in 2005 and 60% in 2011. The estimated healthcare cost due to epilepsy as a share of total healthcare costs for all illnesses was about the same in 2005 as in 2011 (0.2%), while the corresponding pharmaceutical cost increased from about 0.5% in 2005 to almost 1% in 2011.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The per-patient cost of epilepsy is substantial, implying a significant aggregated cost incurred on society (despite a prevalence < 1%). Our results suggest that the per-patient pharmaceutical utilization increased, while the per-patient physician visits and hospitalizations decreased, between 2005 and 2011. Moreover, we demonstrate that the 2005 prevalence measure was underestimated the true prevalence in 2005.
authors.affiliation: Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; Centre for Health Economics at University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bolin
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Berggren
authors.forename: A-M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Landtblom
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000191:economics; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D012042:Registries; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: cost-of-illness; drug utilization; epilepsy; health economics