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BCN HEALTH publishes a study assessing the epidemiological situation and cost of Alzheimer's disease in Spain

The medical costs of Alzheimer's disease in hospital care increased during the study period, with an average annual cost per patient of 4,969 euros. 

Imagen de un cerebro relacionada con la investigación del Alzhéimer en España
Healthcare

BCN HEALTH has published the study ‘Hospital incidence, mortality and costs of Alzheimer's disease in Spain: a retrospective multicenter study’ in the journal Expert Review of Pharmacoeconomics & Outcomes Research, an international peer-reviewed journal covering all aspects of pharmacoeconomics.

BCN HEALTH conducted a retrospective study based on records of patients diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease and treated in public and private hospitals in Spain between 2011 and 2016. The aim of the study was to analyze the incidence of the disease at hospital level, mortality, resource use and associated costs.

The study included 8,300 hospital records, corresponding to 7,894 patients. The mean age recorded was 80.4 years, with a majority of women. The incidence of Alzheimer's disease in Spain during the study period was 3.7 cases per 10,000 patients, 2.9 cases in men and 4.4 cases in women, increasing during the study period. In-hospital mortality was 9.5% and was associated with respiratory failure, other respiratory diseases and heart failure. In the total population analyzed, the main comorbidities were hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia and diabetes. 

Finally, the medical costs of Alzheimer's disease in hospital care increased during the study period, with an average annual cost per patient of 4,969 euros. The average length of hospital stay was 10 days, and the use of mechanical ventilation was one of the factors associated with higher costs.

More information can be found at https://doi.org/10.1080/14737167.2020.1820328