BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 1.3% of German adults suffer from clinically relevant restless legs syndrome (RLS). A cost-of-illness study was conducted to evaluate the costs for diagnosis and therapy of the idiopathic RLS. METHODS: A clinical pathway based on expert guidelines was developed. The costs for the 1st year of treatment in idiopathic RLS were calculated with the Markov Model. Relevant published clinical study data were used for the model as well as questioning of physicians. RESULTS: Costs per patient with approved drug treatment are 989.80 Euro for sickness funds and 1,285.26 Euro from the societal perspective. Drug costs are the main cost components for sickness funds and the society with 69% and 61%, respectively. Less than half of the patients continue an L-dopa therapy longer than 1 year. About one quarter of all RLS patients need off-label therapy after the 1st year of treatment. CONCLUSION: The costs for a guideline-oriented therapy for all patients with clinically relevant RLS in Germany are about 1,135 billion Euro, representing 0.5% of all health-related costs in Germany. Further controlled clinical trials are required to provide evidence for the efficacy of different treatment options including drugs without an approval for RLS and long-term use. Health services research is required for cost-utility analysis, to evaluate the costs of inadequate treatment, and to obtain additional information to improve the resource allocation in RLS treatment.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 1.3% of German adults suffer from clinically relevant restless legs syndrome (RLS). A cost-of-illness study was conducted to evaluate the costs for diagnosis and therapy of the idiopathic RLS. METHODS: A clinical pathway based on expert guidelines was developed. The costs for the 1st year of treatment in idiopathic RLS were calculated with the Markov Model. Relevant published clinical study data were used for the model as well as questioning of physicians. RESULTS: Costs per patient with approved drug treatment are 989.80 Euro for sickness funds and 1,285.26 Euro from the societal perspective. Drug costs are the main cost components for sickness funds and the society with 69% and 61%, respectively. Less than half of the patients continue an L-dopa therapy longer than 1 year. About one quarter of all RLSpatients need off-label therapy after the 1st year of treatment. CONCLUSION: The costs for a guideline-oriented therapy for all patients with clinically relevant RLS in Germany are about 1,135 billion Euro, representing 0.5% of all health-related costs in Germany. Further controlled clinical trials are required to provide evidence for the efficacy of different treatment options including drugs without an approval for RLS and long-term use. Health services research is required for cost-utility analysis, to evaluate the costs of inadequate treatment, and to obtain additional information to improve the resource allocation in RLS treatment.
Authors: Wolfgang H Oertel; Karin Stiasny-Kolster; Bettina Bergtholdt; Yngve Hallström; Jaan Albo; Lena Leissner; Thomas Schindler; Juergen Koester; Juergen Reess Journal: Mov Disord Date: 2007-01-15 Impact factor: 10.338
Authors: Diego Garcia-Borreguero; Ronald Grunstein; Guruswamy Sridhar; Tilman Dreykluft; Pasquale Montagna; René Dom; Eric Lainey; Anne Moorat; James Roberts Journal: Sleep Med Date: 2007-05-18 Impact factor: 3.492
Authors: Claudia Trenkwalder; Victor Collado Seidel; Jörg Kazenwadel; Thomas C Wetter; Wolfgang Oertel; Roland Selzer; Ralf Kohnen Journal: Mov Disord Date: 2003-10 Impact factor: 10.338
Authors: Wayne A Hening; Richard P Allen; K Ray Chaudhuri; Magdolna Hornyak; Hochang B Lee; John Winkelman; Robert Yoakum Journal: Mov Disord Date: 2007 Impact factor: 10.338