Lerda Casaccia Tiago, Hefner Simon, Strauss Jonas, Bieler Lara, Dariia Kliushnikova, Gabriel Maria, Hitzl Wolfgang, Trinka Eugen, Wipfler Peter, Moser Tobias
Department of Neurology, Christian Doppler University Hospital, European Reference Network EpiCARE, Paracelsus Medical University and Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Ignaz-Harrer-Straße 79, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.
Research Management (RM): Biostatistics and Publication of Clinical Studies Team, Paracelsus Medical University Salzburg, Salzburg, Austria.
Sci Rep. 2025 Mar 19;15(1):9469. doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-94740-5.
Given the financial constraints in public healthcare, we investigated the monthly out-of-pocket expenses for non-pharmacological treatments among individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS), a chronic neurological disorder that primarily affects individuals of working age. This cross-sectional study employed an online questionnaire to evaluate the expenses and utilization of non-pharmacological treatments, as well as the weekly working hours among 104 individuals with relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS, 79%), secondary progressive MS (SPMS, 12%), and primary progressive MS (PPMS, 10%). Non-pharmacological treatments were used by 82% of participants (vitamin D (43%), physiotherapy (31%), massage (21%), magnesium (19%)). The average monthly out-of-pocket expenses were 136 EUR (SD ± 218) and significantly higher among individuals with PPMS (337 EUR SD ± 354) compared to RRMS (110 EUR SD ± 195; p = 0.01). The average weekly working hours were 26 and significantly lower among individuals with PPMS (11 h/week, SD ± 16; p = 0.008) and SPMS (13 h/week, SD ± 16; p = 0.001) compared to the RRMS cohort (30 h/week, SD ± 15). Working hours were not related to individual monthly costs. This study reveals substantial expenses incurred by individuals with MS in Austria, particularly those with PPMS, highlighting the willingness to actively participate in their disease management. Physicians should be aware of the financial resources and inform about available evidence on non-pharmacological treatment approaches.
鉴于公共医疗保健方面的资金限制，我们调查了多发性硬化症（MS）患者非药物治疗的每月自付费用。多发性硬化症是一种慢性神经疾病，主要影响工作年龄段的人群。这项横断面研究采用在线问卷来评估非药物治疗的费用和使用情况，以及104例复发缓解型多发性硬化症（RRMS，79%）、继发进展型多发性硬化症（SPMS，12%）和原发进展型多发性硬化症（PPMS，10%）患者的每周工作时长。82%的参与者使用了非药物治疗（维生素D（43%）、物理治疗（31%）、按摩（21%）、镁（19%））。每月平均自付费用为136欧元（标准差±218），与RRMS患者（110欧元标准差±195；p = 0.01）相比，PPMS患者的费用显著更高（337欧元标准差±354）。平均每周工作时长为26小时，与RRMS队列（每周30小时，标准差±15）相比，PPMS患者（每周11小时，标准差±16；p = 0.008）和SPMS患者（每周13小时，标准差±16；p = 0.001）的工作时长显著更低。工作时长与个人每月费用无关。这项研究揭示了奥地利MS患者，尤其是PPMS患者产生的大量费用，凸显了他们积极参与疾病管理的意愿。医生应了解患者的财务状况，并告知非药物治疗方法的现有证据。
