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Toledano R, Villanueva V, Toledo M, Sabaniego J, Pérez-Domper P. Clinical and economic implications of epilepsy management across treatment lines in Spain: a real-life database analysis. J Neurol 2023; 270:5945-5957. [PMID: 37626245 PMCID: PMC10632298 DOI: 10.1007/s00415-023-11958-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2023] [Revised: 08/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/27/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Epilepsy is a chronic brain disease characterized by recurrent seizures. We investigated real-world management of epilepsy across treatment lines in Spain, including healthcare resource use (HRU) and associated costs. METHODS This was a retrospective study of real-life data from epilepsy patients prescribed antiseizure medication (ASM) between January 2016 and December 2021. Patients were grouped according to their line of treatment (1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th +) during the recruitment period. Demographic and clinical characteristics, comorbidities and concomitant medications were analyzed during the baseline period (6 months before starting treatment line); antiepileptic treatments, concomitant medications, HRU and associated costs were analyzed during follow-up. RESULTS The study included 5006 patients. Treatment duration decreased as treatment lines progressed (mean ± SD progression time: 523.2 ± 279.1 days from 1st to 2nd line, 351.6 ± 194.4 days from 2nd to 3rd line; 272.7 ± 139.3 days from 3rd to 4th + line). Significant HRU differences were found with subsequent treatment lines, including an increase in hospital admissions and patients on sick leave. Mean (95% CI) adjusted total costs per patient were €2974/year (2773-3175) in the 1st line and €5735/year (5043-6428) in the 4th + line. There was an increase in adjusted direct and total costs with subsequent treatment lines; the mean difference in total costs between cohorts was €2761 (p < 0.001). The highest direct costs were associated with epilepsy medication, days at the hospital and specialist visits. CONCLUSION Our data revealed a progressive increase in the use of resources and associated costs across subsequent epilepsy treatment lines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rafael Toledano
- Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Universitario Ramón y Cajal and Hospital Ruber Internacional, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Vicente Villanueva
- Refractory Epilepsy Unit, Neurology Service, Hospital Universitario y Politécnico La Fe, Member of ERN EpiCARE, Valencia, Spain
| | - Manuel Toledo
- Neurology Service, Hospital Universitari Vall d' Hebron, Barcelona, Spain
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Birhan YS. Medicinal plants utilized in the management of epilepsy in Ethiopia: ethnobotany, pharmacology and phytochemistry. Chin Med 2022; 17:129. [PMCID: PMC9675240 DOI: 10.1186/s13020-022-00686-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 11/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Epilepsy is a common central nervous system (CNS) disorder that affects 50 million people worldwide. Patients with status epilepticus (SE) suffer from devastating comorbidities and a high incidence of mortalities. Antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) are the mainstream treatment options for the symptomatic relief of epilepsy. The incidence of refractory epilepsy and the dose-dependent neurotoxicity of AEDs such as fatigue, cognitive impairment, dizziness, attention-deficit behavior, and other side effects are the major bottlenecks in epilepsy treatment. In low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), epilepsy patients failed to adhere to the AEDs regimens and consider other options such as complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) to relieve pain due to status epilepticus (SE). Plant-based CAMs are widely employed for the treatment of epilepsy across the globe including Ethiopia. The current review documented around 96 plant species (PS) that are often used for the treatment of epilepsy in Ethiopia. It also described the in vivo anticonvulsant activities and toxicity profiles of the antiepileptic medicinal plants (MPs). Moreover, the phytochemical constituents of MPs with profound anticonvulsant effects were also assessed. The result reiterated that a lot has to be done to show the association between herbal-based epilepsy treatment and in vivo pharmacological activities of MPs regarding their mechanism of action (MOA), toxicity profiles, and bioactive constituents so that they can advance into the clinics and serve as a treatment option for epilepsy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yihenew Simegniew Birhan
- grid.449044.90000 0004 0480 6730Department of Chemistry, College of Natural and Computational Sciences, Debre Markos University, P.O. Box 269, Debre Markos, Ethiopia
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Willems LM, Hochbaum M, Zöllner JP, Schulz J, Menzler K, Langenbruch L, Kovac S, Knake S, von Podewils F, Hamacher M, Hamer HM, Reese JP, Frey K, Rosenow F, Strzelczyk A. Trends in resource utilization and cost of illness in patients with active epilepsy in Germany from 2003 to 2020. Epilepsia 2022; 63:1591-1602. [PMID: 35305026 DOI: 10.1111/epi.17229] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To calculate epilepsy-related direct, indirect, and total costs in adult patients with active epilepsy (ongoing unprovoked seizures) in Germany and to analyze cost components and dynamics compared to previous studies from 2003, 2008 and 2013. This analysis was part of the Epi2020 study. METHODS Direct and indirect costs related to epilepsy were calculated with a multicenter survey using an established and validated questionnaire with a bottom-up design and human capital approach over a 3-month period in late 2020. Epilepsy-specific costs in the German health care sector from 2003, 2008 and 2013 were corrected for inflation to allow for a valid comparison. RESULTS Data on the disease-specific costs for 253 patients in 2020 were analyzed. The mean total costs were calculated at € 5,551 (± € 5,805; median: € 2,611; range: € 274 to € 21,667) per three months, comprising mean direct costs of € 1,861 (± € 1,905; median: € 1,276; range: € 327 to € 13,158) and mean indirect costs of € 3,690 (± € 5,298; median: € 0; range: € 0 to € 11,925). The main direct costs components were hospitalization (42.4%), anti-seizure medication (42.2%) and outpatient care (6.2%). Productivity losses due to early retirement (53.6%), part-time work or unemployment (30.8%) and seizure-related off-days (15.6%) were the main reasons for indirect costs. However, compared to 2013, there was no significant increase of direct costs (-10.0%), and indirect costs significantly increased (p<0.028, +35.1%), resulting in a significant increase in total epilepsy-related costs (p<0.047, +20.2%). Compared to the 2013 study population, a significant increase of cost of illness could be observed (p=0.047). SIGNIFICANCE The present study shows that disease-related costs in adult patients with active epilepsy increased from 2013 to 2020. As direct costs have remained constant, this increase is attributable to an increase in indirect costs. These findings highlight the impact of productivity loss caused by early retirement, unemployment, working time reduction and seizure-related days off.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurent M Willems
- Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Department of Neurology, Goethe-University and University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CEPTeR), Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Maja Hochbaum
- Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Department of Neurology, Goethe-University and University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CEPTeR), Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Johann Philipp Zöllner
- Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Department of Neurology, Goethe-University and University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CEPTeR), Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Juliane Schulz
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Katja Menzler
- Epilepsy Center Hessen and Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Lisa Langenbruch
- Epilepsy Center Münster-Osnabrück, Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany.,Department of Neurology, Klinikum Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Stjepana Kovac
- Epilepsy Center Münster-Osnabrück, Department of Neurology with Institute of Translational Neurology, Westfälische Wilhelms-University, Münster, Germany
| | - Susanne Knake
- Epilepsy Center Hessen and Department of Neurology, Philipps-University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
| | - Felix von Podewils
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Mario Hamacher
- Department of Neurology, University Hospital Greifswald, Greifswald, Germany
| | - Hajo M Hamer
- Epilepsy Center and Department of Neurology, Friedrich-Alexander-University, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Jens-Peter Reese
- Institute of Clinical Epidemiology and Biometry, University of Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany
| | - Katharina Frey
- Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Department of Neurology, Goethe-University and University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CEPTeR), Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Felix Rosenow
- Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Department of Neurology, Goethe-University and University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CEPTeR), Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Adam Strzelczyk
- Epilepsy Center Frankfurt Rhine-Main and Department of Neurology, Goethe-University and University Hospital Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany.,LOEWE Center for Personalized Translational Epilepsy Research (CEPTeR), Goethe-University, Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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