Costs of stroke in Sweden. A national perspective.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Cost-effectiveness analyses of stroke management are hampered by paucity of economic data. We made an update of the direct and indirect costs of stroke in Sweden (population, 8.5 million).

METHODS

Direct costs (ie, the costs for hospital and outpatient care and social services) were estimated on the basis of two prospective population-based studies of stroke and of two nationwide cross-sectional inventories of bed-days and diagnoses. Indirect costs (ie, the costs for loss of productivity and early retirement) were based on official statistics.

RESULTS

The direct annual costs of care for stroke patients in 1991 equaled 7836 million Swedish krona (SKr) ($1306 million in US dollars), and the indirect costs, 2430 million SKr ($405 million). The cost of stroke care was 1208 SKr ($201) per inhabitant in Sweden. The expected direct costs per patient from first stroke to death were 440,000 SKr ($73,333). When prestroke costs for other diseases and advanced age were subtracted, the sum was reduced to 180,000 SKr ($30,000).

CONCLUSIONS

Costs for hospital and outpatient care and social services accounted for 76% of Swedish stroke costs and for 24% of costs for loss of production and early retirement. Only 41% of direct costs were stroke-related.