title: Monetary costs of agitation in older adults with Alzheimer's disease in the UK: prospective cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  While nearly half of all people with Alzheimer's disease (AD) have agitation symptoms every month, little is known about the costs of agitation in AD. We calculated the monetary costs associated with agitation in older adults with AD in the UK from a National Health Service and personal social services perspective.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  London and the South East Region of the UK (LASER-AD study).
  
  
  METHODS
  224 people with AD recruited between July 2002 and January 2003 and followed up for 54 months.
  
  
  METHODS
  The primary outcome was health and social care costs, including accommodation costs and costs of contacts with health and social care services. Agitation was assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) agitation score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  After adjustment, health and social care costs varied significantly by agitation, from £29,000 over a 1 year period with no agitation symptoms (NPI agitation score=0) to £57,000 at the most severe levels of agitation (NPI agitation score=12; p=0.01). The mean excess cost associated with agitation per person with AD was £4091 a year, accounting for 12% of the health and social care costs of AD in our data, and equating to £2 billion a year across all people with AD in the UK.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Agitation in people with AD represents a substantial monetary burden over and above the costs associated with cognitive impairment.
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Morris
authors.affiliation: Department of Applied Health Research, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Nishma
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistical Science and PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Gianluca
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Baio
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Lynsey
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kelly
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Elanor
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lewis-Holmes
authors.affiliation: Department of Statistical Science and PRIMENT Clinical Trials Unit, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Rumana Z
authors.initials: RZ
authors.lastname: Omar
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Cornelius
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Katona
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Claudia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cooper
authors.affiliation: Division of Psychiatry, University College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Gill
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Livingston
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000150:complications / Q000191:economics*; D012947:Social Work / Q000191:economics; D006113:United Kingdom
keywords: HEALTH ECONOMICS; MENTAL HEALTH