title: Resource utilisation, costs and clinical outcomes in non-institutionalised patients with Alzheimer's disease: 18-month UK results from the GERAS observational study.
abstract: Alzheimer's disease (AD), the commonest cause of dementia, represents a significant cost to UK society. This analysis describes resource utilisation, costs and clinical outcomes in non-institutionalised patients with AD in the UK.
  
  
  
  The GERAS prospective observational study assessed societal costs associated with AD for patients and caregivers over 18 months, stratified according to baseline disease severity (mild, moderate, or moderately severe/severe [MS/S]). All patients enrolled had an informal caregiver willing to participate in the study. Healthcare resource utilisation was measured using the Resource Utilization in Dementia instrument, and 18-month costs estimated by applying unit costs of services and products (2010 values). Total societal costs were calculated using an opportunity cost approach.
  
  
  
  Overall, 526 patients (200 mild, 180 moderate and 146 MS/S at baseline) were recruited from 24 UK centres. Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores deteriorated most markedly in the MS/S patient group, with declines of 3.6 points in the mild group, 3.5 points in the moderate group and 4.7 points in the MS/S group; between-group differences did not reach statistical significance. Patients with MS/S AD dementia at baseline were more likely to be institutionalised (Kaplan-Meier probability 28% versus 9% in patients with mild AD dementia; p < 0.001 for difference across all severities) and had a greater probability of death (Kaplan-Meier probability 15% versus 5%; p = 0.013) at 18 months. Greater disease severity at baseline was also associated with concomitant increases in caregiver time and mean total societal costs. Total societal costs of £43,560 over 18 months were estimated for the MS/S group, versus £25,865 for the mild group and £30,905 for the moderate group (p < 0.001). Of these costs, over 50% were related to informal caregiver costs at each AD dementia severity level.
  
  
  
  This study demonstrated a mean deterioration in MMSE score over 18 months in patients with AD. It also showed that AD is a costly disease, with costs increasing with disease severity, even when managed in the community: informal caregiver costs represented the main contributor to societal costs.
authors.affiliation: Eli Lilly and Company, Basingstoke, UK. lenox-smith_alan@lilly.com.
authors.forename: Alan
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lenox-Smith
authors.affiliation: Eli Lilly and Company, Erl Wood, Windlesham, UK.
authors.forename: Catherine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Reed
authors.affiliation: Eli Lilly and Company, Bad Homburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jeremie
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lebrec
authors.affiliation: Eli Lilly and Company, Erl Wood, Windlesham, UK.
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Belger
authors.affiliation: RICE (The Research Institute for the Care of Older People), Royal United Hospital, Bath, UK.
authors.forename: Roy W
authors.initials: RW
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000544:Alzheimer Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology; D017028:Caregivers / Q000191:economics*; D017281:Cost of Illness; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006295:Health Resources / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007326:Institutionalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D006113:United Kingdom / Q000453:epidemiology
keywords: AD dementia severity; Alzheimer’s disease; Clinical outcomes; MMSE; Resource use; Societal costs