Healthcare expenditures attributable to Alzheimer's disease in Japan: Life study

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundThe number of older adults with dementia in Japan is projected to exceed 7 million by 2025. This increase will place a heavy economic strain on Japan’s public insurance system as its population ages and workforce shrinks. Although the estimation of this economic burden is crucial to understanding the societal importance of dementia prevention, little is known about the additional healthcare expenditures attributable to dementia in Japan. This study aimed to quantify the healthcare expenditures attributable to Alzheimer's disease (AD).MethodThe analysis was conducted using the Longevity Improvement & Fair Evidence Study (LIFE Study) database, which comprises municipality‐level information centred on claims data. Claims data from April 2014 to March 2019 were obtained from one rural city. The study subjects were individuals who had received new diagnoses of AD in October 2014 or later. The healthcare expenditures for one year were estimated for subjects with adequate follow‐up data for the respective periods. Using the expenditures incurred during the six‐month period before AD diagnosis as a comparator, the additional expenditures incurred after AD diagnosis were estimated through fixed‐effects models.ResultA total of 1,283 patients with new diagnoses of AD were identified from the LIFE Study database. Their mean age was 83.2 years, 67.1% were women, and the mean healthcare expenditure during the six months before AD diagnosis was US$1,038. For subjects with one‐year follow‐up data, the fixed‐effects model estimated that the first, second, and third months after AD diagnosis were associated with additional expenditures of US$1,787 (P < 0.001), US$1,388 (P < 0.001), and US$952 (P < 0.001), respectively, when compared with the pre‐AD period. The additional expenditures stabilized at approximately US$300 in the fourth month and later.ConclusionAD onset was associated with additional monthly healthcare expenditures of approximately US$300 per patient. The substantial economic burden of AD underscores the societal importance of implementing effective and efficient preventive measures.