Abstract
BackgroundThe present study was designed and conducted to evaluate multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment costs and the resulting economic impact imposed on MS patients in Iran.MethodsThis was a cross-sectional study, among randomly selected 300 MS patients, registered in the MS Association of East Azerbaijan Province, Iran (1 year after their treatment began). The regression analysis, ANOVA, T-test, and chi-square were used.ResultsThe average amount of out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) by MS patients during the previous year was 1669.20 USD, most of which was spent on medication, rehabilitation care, and physician visits. Their mean annual income was 5182.84 USD. Fifty four percent of families with an MS patient suffer from catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and 44% experience poverty caused by the OOPs. Occupational status, having supplemental health insurance, and being residents of Tabriz significantly affect OOPs, CHE, and the resulting poverty (P < 0.05).ConclusionThe catastrophic financial burden of health care costs on MS patients and their families justifies health policymakers to promote pre-payment systems and provide subsidies to less well-off patients to protect them from the unfairness of OOPs and its resulting CHE and poverty.
Highlights
The present study was designed and conducted to evaluate multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment costs and the resulting economic impact imposed on MS patients in Iran
Out-of-pocket payments (OOPs) The average OOPs for patients in the last year was 70, 106,490 Rials (1669.20 USD) which is spent on doctor visits, diagnostic services, rehabilitation services, medication, hospitalization, home care, complementary and alternative therapies, and unofficial payments to health care providers
Negative consequences of the unfairness of OOPs The results indicate that 54% of families with MS patients suffer from catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and 44% experience poverty resulting from the MS treatment OOPs
Summary
The present study was designed and conducted to evaluate multiple sclerosis (MS) treatment costs and the resulting economic impact imposed on MS patients in Iran. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complicated, inflammatory disease affecting the central nervous system, with its prominent feature, myelin degradation and loss of neuronal axons, resulting in functional problems and disability [1,2,3]. MS is the second most common cause of neurological disability in working-age adults, and 50 to 80% of patients lose their job ten years after disease onset [5]. Unemployment is the most destructive consequence of MS, the extent of which depends on the duration of the disease, type of the disease, level of neurodegeneration, amount of fatigue, ability to work, level of learning and memory, and the level of stability in the personality traits of patients [8]. Considering the high prevalence of illness [11], its early occurrence in the years of productivity, especially the third and fourth decades of life [12], the long-term survival of patients
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