[Costs of drug treatment of neurologic diseases: Parkinson disease, dystonia, epilepsy].

AIM

The costs of drug treatment were evaluated for Parkinson's disease, focal dystonias and epilepsy.

METHODS

Retrospective analysis over a period of 12 months of 785 patients who visited regularly a neurological out-patient department.

RESULTS

Drug treatment caused a mean annual expenditure of DM 3,920.- (US-($) 2590, pounds 1690) for Parkinson's disease (n = 409), DM 3,620.- (US-($) 2390; pounds 1550) for focal dystonias (n = 140) and DM 660.- (US-($) 435, pounds 280) for hemifacial spasm (n = 35) per patient.- In Parkinson's disease costs are dependent on the extent of the disease, the type involved and the presence or absence of motor fluctuations. In Hoehn and Yahr stage I we calculated costs of DM 2,230.- (US-($) 1470; pounds 960), in contrast to DM 11,870.- (US-($) 7830; pounds 5100) in Hoehn and Yahr stage V. The occurrence of fluctuations in motor ability increased annual costs to DM 6,010.- (US-($) 3970, pounds 2580); patients' treatment without motor fluctuations was cheaper (DM 2,700.-; US-($) 1780, pounds 1160).- The annual treatment costs of focal dystonias and facial hemispasm varied due to the location of the involuntary movement and the extent of symptoms: DM 4,900.- (US-($) 3300; pounds 2100) were calculated for the treatment of cervical dystonias, DM 1,480.- (US-($) 930; pounds 600) for the treatment of blepharo-spasm (oromandibular dystonia: DM 1,710.-; US-($) 1200; pounds 800) and DM 600.- (US-($) 470; pounds 300) for the treatment of facial hemispasm.- The drug treatment of epilepsy caused mean costs of DM 1,740.- (US-($) 1160; pounds 750) per year. There were marked differences concerning the different epileptic syndromes and types of seizure.

CONCLUSION

Costs of drug treatment varied considerably in the three diseases depending on the course, the type and the different forms of the respective disease.