The Costs of Loneliness-Related Health Consequences in Finland
Author(s)
veronika papon, MSc1, Sibylle Puntscher, MMag. Dr.1, Marjan Arvandi, MSc, PhD1, Beate Jahn, PhD1, Kaisu H. Pitkälä, MD, PhD, professor emerita2, Jill S. Litt, PhD3, Uwe Siebert, MPH, MSc4, Ursula Rochau, Assoc.-Prof. Priv.-Doz. Mag. Dr.1.
1Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment, Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT TIROL - University for Health Sciences and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria, 2University of Helsinki, Department of General Practice and Helsinki University Hospital, Unit of Primary Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, 3Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal); CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP); Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain, 4UMIT TIROL - University for Health Sciences and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria; Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
1Institute of Public Health, Medical Decision Making and Health Technology Assessment, Department of Public Health, Health Services Research and Health Technology Assessment, UMIT TIROL - University for Health Sciences and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria, 2University of Helsinki, Department of General Practice and Helsinki University Hospital, Unit of Primary Care, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, 3Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal); CIBER Epidemiología y Salud Pública (CIBERESP); Universitat Pompeu Fabra (UPF), Barcelona, Spain, 4UMIT TIROL - University for Health Sciences and Technology, Hall in Tirol, Austria; Harvard Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States; Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
OBJECTIVES: According to the World Health Organization, loneliness is associated with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), diabetes type 2 (T2D), anxiety, depression, dementia, and death by suicide. Given the known health impacts of loneliness, our study aims to assess health-related costs of loneliness in Finland within the framework of the EU-Horizon 2020 project RECETAS (No 945095).
METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed complemented by manual searches to identify cost-of-illness studies using MeSH terms, such as “Costs and Cost Analysis” and “Cost of Illness” for loneliness-related health consequences. Title/abstract followed by full-text screening was performed by one researcher. Relevant study characteristics, such as disease, study population, study design, time frame, costs, price year and currency, perspective, and limitations, were systematically extracted. If available, direct medical and non-medical costs, along with standard deviations (SD), were extracted. Costs of informal care and productivity losses due to morbidity or mortality were not considered Costs were adjusted into 2024 Euro using the consumer price index.
RESULTS: We identified 18 studies for dementia, 59 for CVD, 12 for T2D, 28 for depression, eight for anxiety, and four for suicide. Heterogeneity across study characteristics included different currencies and cost reporting per patient, per capita, or per person-year. Annual average costs per patient extracted from selected studies were Euro 6,942 for T2D (adjusted for complications), Euro 22,304 (SD: Euro 3,035) for dementia, Euro 6,767 for CVD, Euro 4,038 (SD: 11,401) for depression, Euro 4,262 (SD: 6,742) for anxiety, and indirect costs (prehospital emergency medical care, police, forensic autopsy) of Euro 2,896 per suicide death.
CONCLUSIONS: This review provides cost estimates of loneliness-related disorders and death by suicide from a Finnish perspective to support further evaluation of loneliness interventions.
Acknowledgment: This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 945095.
METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature review in PubMed complemented by manual searches to identify cost-of-illness studies using MeSH terms, such as “Costs and Cost Analysis” and “Cost of Illness” for loneliness-related health consequences. Title/abstract followed by full-text screening was performed by one researcher. Relevant study characteristics, such as disease, study population, study design, time frame, costs, price year and currency, perspective, and limitations, were systematically extracted. If available, direct medical and non-medical costs, along with standard deviations (SD), were extracted. Costs of informal care and productivity losses due to morbidity or mortality were not considered Costs were adjusted into 2024 Euro using the consumer price index.
RESULTS: We identified 18 studies for dementia, 59 for CVD, 12 for T2D, 28 for depression, eight for anxiety, and four for suicide. Heterogeneity across study characteristics included different currencies and cost reporting per patient, per capita, or per person-year. Annual average costs per patient extracted from selected studies were Euro 6,942 for T2D (adjusted for complications), Euro 22,304 (SD: Euro 3,035) for dementia, Euro 6,767 for CVD, Euro 4,038 (SD: 11,401) for depression, Euro 4,262 (SD: 6,742) for anxiety, and indirect costs (prehospital emergency medical care, police, forensic autopsy) of Euro 2,896 per suicide death.
CONCLUSIONS: This review provides cost estimates of loneliness-related disorders and death by suicide from a Finnish perspective to support further evaluation of loneliness interventions.
Acknowledgment: This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No 945095.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
EE696
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Cardiovascular Disorders (including MI, Stroke, Circulatory), Diabetes/Endocrine/Metabolic Disorders (including obesity), Mental Health (including addition)