Purpose: To investigate the costs of epilepsy from a nationwide survey comparing adult patients included in different prognostic categories.
Methods: A 12-month prospective observational study was conducted in 15 epilepsy centers from Northern, Central, and Southern Italy. The study population included a random sample of individuals aged 18 years and older with newly diagnosed (ND) epilepsy, seizure remission (R), occasional seizures (OS), active non-drug-resistant (NDR) seizures, drug-resistant (DR) seizures, or surgical candidates (SC). Estimates of the direct costs of care of epilepsy were based on the use of diagnostic examinations, laboratory tests, specialist consultations, hospital admissions, day-hospital days, and drugs, taking the Italian National Health Service perspective.
Results: The sample included 631 patients (ND 62, R 158, OS 155, NDR 114, DR 128, and SC 14). The SC group had the highest total cost per patient (3,619 euros) followed by DR (2,190 euros), ND (976 euros), NDR (894 euros), OS (830 euros), and R (561 euros). For each epilepsy group, the main components of the total cost were drugs and hospital admissions. Drug costs increased from the R group to the DR group. The new antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) were the largest part of the cost of treatment.
Conclusions: The costs of epilepsy in referral patients vary significantly according to the time course of the disease and the response to treatment. Hospital admissions and drugs are the major sources of expenditure.