THE ECONOMIC BURDEN OF SEIZURE EMERGENCIES IN SPAIN: RESULTS FROM A COST OF ILLNESS STUDY
Author(s)
Noem Sain, MSc1, Manuel Toledo Argany, MD, PhD2, Manuel Quintana Luque, MsC, PhD2, Elena Fonseca Hernández, MD, PhD2, Jacint Sala Padró, MD, PhD3, Carlos Martin Saborido, MsC, PhD4, Patricia Smeyers Dura, MD, PhD5, Felix Gonzalez Martinez, MD, PhD6, Navid Behzadi Koochani, MD, PhD7, Roberto Ciordia Dominguez, MD8, Jessica Carolina Cruz Arrioja, MBA9, Malena Águila Fuentes, BSc, MSc9, Irene Lizano-Díez, PharmD, PhD9, Marc Manau, MBA9, Maria Torrejon, MSc10.
1UCB BioPharma, Etterbeek, Belgium, 2Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, 3Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, 4Instituto de Salud Carlos III – Agencia de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias, Madrid, Spain, 5Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain, 6Hospital Virgen de la Luz, Cuenca, Spain, 7Servicio de Urgencias Medicas de La comunidad de Madrid UMMA112, Madrid, Spain, 8General Directorate of Osakidetza, Basque Country, Spain, 9Alira Health, Barcelona, Spain, 10UCB pharma, Madrid, Spain.
1UCB BioPharma, Etterbeek, Belgium, 2Hospital Vall d'Hebron, Barcelona, Spain, 3Bellvitge University Hospital, Barcelona, Spain, 4Instituto de Salud Carlos III – Agencia de Evaluación de Tecnologías Sanitarias, Madrid, Spain, 5Hospital Universitario y Politecnico La Fe, Valencia, Spain, 6Hospital Virgen de la Luz, Cuenca, Spain, 7Servicio de Urgencias Medicas de La comunidad de Madrid UMMA112, Madrid, Spain, 8General Directorate of Osakidetza, Basque Country, Spain, 9Alira Health, Barcelona, Spain, 10UCB pharma, Madrid, Spain.
OBJECTIVES: To quantify the economic burden of seizure emergencies in Spain, including direct healthcare costs and indirect costs on absenteeism, to inform resource allocation and optimize emergency care pathways.
METHODS: A retrospective, multicenter cost of illness (COI) study was conducted using data from the epilepsy registries of two tertiary hospitals in Catalonia (Vall d’Hebron and Bellvitge hospitals), covering a 4-year observation period of 3,522 patients, this data was combined with the results from a national patient survey. Costs were estimated from both the healthcare and societal perspectives, encompassing direct medical costs (emergency department [ED] visits, diagnostics, medications, hospitalization, ICU and readmissions) and indirect costs (absenteeism and productivity losses). Following COI-based methodology, the analysis mapped resource use and costs. Unit costs were applied from standardized Spanish healthcare cost tables, and indirect costs were estimated using national wage data (INE). Age-stratified analysis was conducted for three groups: 18-40, 41-65, and +65 years. Validation was performed through an expert focus group.
RESULTS: The total COI over 4 years was €72 million: 75% attributable to direct medical costs, of which 70% to hospitalizations (€50.4M) and 5% to ED visits (€3.3M). Average annual cost per patient was ~€5K. Burden increased with age: €15.2M in the 16-40 age group, €24.1M in the 41-65 group, and €37.3M in the +65 group, the highest burden cohort. Annual per-patient costs, direct and indirect, ranged from €4.7K (41-65 years) to €6.0K (+65 years).
CONCLUSIONS: Seizure emergencies impose a substantial, economic burden on the Spanish healthcare system, and society. Hospitalization is the dominant cost driver (>70% of direct costs), underscoring the critical role of early intervention in preventing seizure escalation. The findings emphasize the need for improvements in seizure management protocols and policies, early acute seizure medication use, and patient-caregiver education to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and optimize healthcare resource use.
METHODS: A retrospective, multicenter cost of illness (COI) study was conducted using data from the epilepsy registries of two tertiary hospitals in Catalonia (Vall d’Hebron and Bellvitge hospitals), covering a 4-year observation period of 3,522 patients, this data was combined with the results from a national patient survey. Costs were estimated from both the healthcare and societal perspectives, encompassing direct medical costs (emergency department [ED] visits, diagnostics, medications, hospitalization, ICU and readmissions) and indirect costs (absenteeism and productivity losses). Following COI-based methodology, the analysis mapped resource use and costs. Unit costs were applied from standardized Spanish healthcare cost tables, and indirect costs were estimated using national wage data (INE). Age-stratified analysis was conducted for three groups: 18-40, 41-65, and +65 years. Validation was performed through an expert focus group.
RESULTS: The total COI over 4 years was €72 million: 75% attributable to direct medical costs, of which 70% to hospitalizations (€50.4M) and 5% to ED visits (€3.3M). Average annual cost per patient was ~€5K. Burden increased with age: €15.2M in the 16-40 age group, €24.1M in the 41-65 group, and €37.3M in the +65 group, the highest burden cohort. Annual per-patient costs, direct and indirect, ranged from €4.7K (41-65 years) to €6.0K (+65 years).
CONCLUSIONS: Seizure emergencies impose a substantial, economic burden on the Spanish healthcare system, and society. Hospitalization is the dominant cost driver (>70% of direct costs), underscoring the critical role of early intervention in preventing seizure escalation. The findings emphasize the need for improvements in seizure management protocols and policies, early acute seizure medication use, and patient-caregiver education to reduce avoidable hospitalizations and optimize healthcare resource use.
Conference/Value in Health Info
2026-11, ISPOR Europe 2026, Vienna, Austria
Value in Health, Volume 29, Issue 12S
Code
EE361
Topic
Economic Evaluation, Health Service Delivery & Process of Care
Topic Subcategory
Cost/Cost of Illness/Resource Use Studies
Disease
Neurological Disorders