The socio-economical burden of hypersomnia.

OBJECTIVES

In the absence of socio-economical consequences of hypersomnia this study addresses the factual indirect and direct costs.

METHODS

Two thousand two hundred and eight patients with a hypersomnia diagnosis from 1998 to 2005 were identified in the Danish national patient registry (NPR), each compared with 4 age and gender adjusted, randomly chosen citizens selected from the Civil Registration System Statistics. The health cost was decomposed in direct and indirect yearly costs, including labor supply and social transfer payments. Direct costs included frequencies and costs of discharges and outpatient use by cost weights according to diagnosis related groups and specific outpatient prices based on data from The Danish Ministry of Health. The use of and costs of drugs was based on data from the Danish Medicines Agency. The frequencies and costs from primary sectors were based on data from The National Health Security. Indirect costs were based on income data from the coherent social statistics (CSS).

RESULTS

Patients with hypersomnia presented significant higher health related contact rate, expenses and medication use. No differences were identified in employment and income. The yearly sum of direct and indirect costs were yearly euro3402 vs. euro1212 in controls (P < 0.001), corresponding to a yearly excess costs euro2190. The patients presented higher transfer income, total euro889.

CONCLUSION

Hypersomnia patient present higher health and medication uses, and social transfer income and thus represent a significant socio-economical burden.