Estimating the Costs of Epilepsy: An International Comparison of Epilepsy Cost Studies

Purpose: To compare systematically the national and per capita estimates of the cost of epilepsy in different countries. Methods: Studies for this literature review were selected by conducting a Medline literature search from January 1966 to March 2000. Key methodologic, country‐related, and monetary issues of the selected epilepsy cost studies were evaluated to compare their direct cost estimates and to explore their distribution. The results of the selected studies were made comparable by converting them with different types of conversion factors and expressing them as a proportion of the national expenditure on health care. Results: Ten epilepsy cost studies were reviewed. The proportion of national health care expenditure on epilepsy shows a range of 0.12–1.12% or 0.12–1.05% depending on the type of conversion factor. The list of cost components included in the estimation of the direct costs of epilepsy differs from study to study. A comprehensive list is associated with a decrease in the contribution of drug and hospital costs to the total direct costs of epilepsy. Conclusions: This study highlights the importance of studying the economic consequences of epilepsy and of interpreting the results on the international level. The results of epilepsy cost studies can provide insight into the distribution of the costs of epilepsy and the impact of epilepsy on the national expenditure on health care.