Costs during the first year after stroke by degree of functional disability: A societal perspective

The aim of this study was to estimate societal costs during the first year after stroke by degree of functional disability.

Descriptive study of the cumulative costs incurred during 1-year follow-up of a cohort of patients with stroke in Catalonia (Spain) participating in a multicentre, population-based, cluster-randomised trial (RACECAT). Patients were recruited between September 2017 and January 2019. Costs were collected for each patient from stroke onset to 1-year follow-up through hospital accounting records, electronic healthcare records and structured telephone-based interviews at 6 and 12-months follow-up. Disability was assessed using the 90-day modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Healthcare, community care, and patient/family costs were included. We used complete data from 567 eligible participants. Cost data were analysed using generalised linear models (GLMs) with gamma distributions and log link functions. For variables with >10% zero values, two-part models were applied. We performed sensitivity analyses modifying unit costs for patient/family costs.

Of the 567 patients included, 53% had ischaemic large vessel oclusion (LVO) stroke, 24% intracranial haemorrhage and 23% ischaemic non-LVO stroke. Mean cost per patient during the first year after stroke was €29,673 ± 28,632, and increased with degree of disability (mRS 0-2: €18,568 ± 12,244; mRS 3: €38,214 ± 28,172; mRS 4-5: €52,859 ± 36,383). Healthcare costs represented the highest proportion of total costs (63%; €18,724/patient) across all disability levels, with index hospitalisation being the highest (€12,319 ± 17,675); however, community care and patient/family costs represented over 40% of total cost in patients with higher disability levels.

Our results are in line with other studies; the costs during the first year after stroke are high and increase with disability. These results are valuable for calculating the cost of severe stroke cases.