Abstract
The objective of this study was to estimate the direct cost before and after diagnosis
assessment in patients with Dravet's syndrome (DS). The basis of the economic study
was to calculate the costs of health care before and after diagnosis of DS. We retrospectively
evaluated all SCN1A positive patients with phenotype of DS treated in our hospital. Statistical analyses
were performed by IBM SPSS Statistics 24.0 software. After the diagnosis of DS, there
was a significant decline of health care costs (−85.6%) an average of €29.4 ± 26.1
monthly per patient. We estimated the monthly costs at €204.5 ± 167 (median: €193.9,
range: €35.5–534.4) per patient before DS diagnosis. The major cost was for hospitalization
in neurological department: €43.3 ± 52 (median: €21.9, range: €9.5–179.4) per patient.
Minimal cost per patient per months before DS diagnosis was cost of psychological
testing/care and complementary rehabilitation (0.13 and 0.6% of total cost). After
DS diagnosis, the major cost was focused on nonhospitalization care of patients (64.8%),
minimal (€0) for genetic testing and major for outpatient care (18%, mean: €5.3, median:
€7). DS results in essential health care utilization and high financial burden before
diagnosis elucidation caused by repeated hospitalization and extensive diagnostics
tests of “epileptic encephalopathy of unknown etiology.” The results of this study
point out that early assessment of the diagnosis leads to significant decrease of
the financial costs because of adequate therapeutic management and exclusion of redundant
diagnostic testing after elucidation of correct diagnosis.
Keywords
epilepsy - Dravet's syndrome - economic study - costs
