Valuing the Invisible: Societal Costs of Alzheimer’s Disease From a Malaysian Perspective
Author(s)
Lyn Xuan Tay, BSc.
Postgraduate Student, Universiti Sains Malaysia, GELUGOR, Malaysia.
Postgraduate Student, Universiti Sains Malaysia, GELUGOR, Malaysia.
OBJECTIVES: Alzheimer’s disease is expected to bring huge impact towards resource use and economic consequences along with population ageing. This studyaims to investigate the annual economic burden of Alzheimer’s disease along with underlying cost drivers.
METHODS: Patient with AD (PWAD) aged 65 and above accompanied with primary caregivers were recruited in 6 tertiary care hospitals. A structured interview was conducted to collect sociodemographic, clinical and resource use information using adapted questionnaire. Direct medical cost (DMC), direct non-medical cost (DNMC) and indirect cost (IDC) were annualized and categorized by severity level. Generalized linear models were applied to investigate predictors of costs.
RESULTS: From 135 patient-caregiver dyads, the annual economic burden of AD from societal perspective was USD 8618.83 ± USD 6740.79 per capita. Thes ocietal cost of severe PWAD (USD11943.19 ± USD6954.17) almost doubled those in mild AD (USD6281.10 ± USD6879.83). IDC was the major cost driver (77.7%) which represented the impact of productivity loss due to informal care. Besides disease severity, time spent in informal care, caregivers’ employment and use of special accommodation were predictors of AD cost. AD is estimated to impose a burden of USD1.9 billion in 2022, which represented 0.47% of Malaysia GDP.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provided real-world empirical cost estimates of AD burden in Malaysia. Informal care is a significant contributor to societal cost of AD. Novel interventions targeting AD progression delay could potentially lead to substantial cost savings for society.
METHODS: Patient with AD (PWAD) aged 65 and above accompanied with primary caregivers were recruited in 6 tertiary care hospitals. A structured interview was conducted to collect sociodemographic, clinical and resource use information using adapted questionnaire. Direct medical cost (DMC), direct non-medical cost (DNMC) and indirect cost (IDC) were annualized and categorized by severity level. Generalized linear models were applied to investigate predictors of costs.
RESULTS: From 135 patient-caregiver dyads, the annual economic burden of AD from societal perspective was USD 8618.83 ± USD 6740.79 per capita. Thes ocietal cost of severe PWAD (USD11943.19 ± USD6954.17) almost doubled those in mild AD (USD6281.10 ± USD6879.83). IDC was the major cost driver (77.7%) which represented the impact of productivity loss due to informal care. Besides disease severity, time spent in informal care, caregivers’ employment and use of special accommodation were predictors of AD cost. AD is estimated to impose a burden of USD1.9 billion in 2022, which represented 0.47% of Malaysia GDP.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provided real-world empirical cost estimates of AD burden in Malaysia. Informal care is a significant contributor to societal cost of AD. Novel interventions targeting AD progression delay could potentially lead to substantial cost savings for society.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2025-11, ISPOR Europe 2025, Glasgow, Scotland
Value in Health, Volume 28, Issue S2
Code
EE750
Topic
Economic Evaluation
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Geriatrics, Neurological Disorders