TY - JOUR

T1 - Lifetime costs of cerebral palsy

AU - Kruse, Marie

AU - Michelsen, Susan Ishøy

AU - Flachs, Esben Meulengracht

AU - Brønnum-Hansen, Henrik

AU - Madsen, Mette

AU - Uldall, Peter

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - This study quantified the lifetime costs of cerebral palsy (CP) in a register-based setting. It was the first study outside the US to assess the lifetime costs of CP. The lifetime costs attributable to CP were divided into three categories: health care costs, productivity costs, and social costs. The population analyzed was retrieved from the Danish Cerebral Palsy Register, which covers the eastern part of the country and has registered about half of the Danish population of individuals with CP since 1950. For this study we analyzed 2367 individuals with CP, who were born in 1930 to 2000 and were alive in 2000. The prevalence of CP in eastern Denmark was approximately 1.7 per 1000. Information on productivity and the use of health care was retrieved from registers. The lifetime cost of CP was about euro860 000 for men and about euro800 000 for women. The largest component was social care costs, particularly during childhood. A sensitivity analysis found that alterations in social care costs had a small effect, whereas lowering the discount rate from 5 to 3 per cent markedly increased total lifetime costs. Discounting decreases the value of costs in the future compared with the present. The high social care costs and productivity costs associated with CP point to a potential gain from labour market interventions that benefit individuals with CP.

AB - This study quantified the lifetime costs of cerebral palsy (CP) in a register-based setting. It was the first study outside the US to assess the lifetime costs of CP. The lifetime costs attributable to CP were divided into three categories: health care costs, productivity costs, and social costs. The population analyzed was retrieved from the Danish Cerebral Palsy Register, which covers the eastern part of the country and has registered about half of the Danish population of individuals with CP since 1950. For this study we analyzed 2367 individuals with CP, who were born in 1930 to 2000 and were alive in 2000. The prevalence of CP in eastern Denmark was approximately 1.7 per 1000. Information on productivity and the use of health care was retrieved from registers. The lifetime cost of CP was about euro860 000 for men and about euro800 000 for women. The largest component was social care costs, particularly during childhood. A sensitivity analysis found that alterations in social care costs had a small effect, whereas lowering the discount rate from 5 to 3 per cent markedly increased total lifetime costs. Discounting decreases the value of costs in the future compared with the present. The high social care costs and productivity costs associated with CP point to a potential gain from labour market interventions that benefit individuals with CP.

U2 - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2008.03190.x

DO - 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2008.03190.x

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 19416329

VL - 51

SP - 622

EP - 628

JO - Developmental medicine and child neurology. Supplement

JF - Developmental medicine and child neurology. Supplement

SN - 0419-0238

IS - 8

ER -