Average annual cost of Parkinson's disease in a Brazilian multiethnic population

With the current demographic transition, it is estimated that by 2050 Brazil will have a population of 90 million people aged 60 years or more, and in parallel Parkinson's disease (PD) will bring a considerable economic burden to our society. Brazil is considered multiracial due to its colonization, generating important social and regional inequalities. Knowing the costs of the PD may aid to improve local public policies. However, in Brazil, no estimates of these values have been made so far.

To evaluate direct, indirect, and out-of-pocket costs in Brazilian people with PD (PwP).

Categorical and numerical data were collected through a customized and standardized cost-related-questionnaire from 1055 PwP nationwide, from 10 tertiary movement disorders centers across all Brazilian regions.

The estimated average annual cost of PwP was US$ 4020.48. Direct and indirect costs accounted for 63% and 36% of the total, respectively, and out-of-pocket costs were 49%. There were no evidence of differences in the total cost of PD across the regions of the country; however, differences were reported between the stages of the Hoehn and Yahr scale (H&Y).

This data suggests a considerable burden of PD for Brazilian society in general, not only for the public health system, but mainly for those with PD.