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Costs Rise Sharply as Alzheimer's Worsens
By: Reuters WASHINGTON, Feb. 4 — As the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease worsen, the costs of caring for patients rise sharply, suggesting that treatment to slow progression of the degenerative brain disease would help lower medical costs, according to a study released today. The study, conducted by researchers at the University of California at Los Angeles and published in the February issue of The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, showed that for a six-month period, costs associated with Alzheimer's could rise to more than $30,000 per patient, depending on severity of symptoms. "We knew that Alzheimer's was an expensive illness, but I wanted to get a better idea of how the severity of the illness related to the costs," said Dr. Gary Small, the lead researcher and a professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at U.C.L.A. "We found that, as Alzheimer's disease progresses, the cost to society increases and those costs included the direct health care costs as well as lost productivity of caregivers," Dr. Small said. For the six-month period examined, health care costs totaled approximately $20,000 for a high functioning patient, defined as someone whose Alzheimer's was recently diagnosed and who has memory loss but is still able to conduct some activities of daily life. For patients with severe dementia, the study found that health care costs rose to approximately $35,000 during the same period. Alzheimer's, the most common form of dementia, is one of the most costly disorders among the elderly. The number of people with the disease in the United States is expected to grow from 4 million to 14 million over the next 50 years, doctors say. There is no cure, but there are several drugs available that may help slow progression of the disease. But for various reasons, most Alzheimer's patients are not taking the medications, Dr. Small said. "There are barriers to adequate care," he said, adding that when medications are prescribed they are often stopped too early. "There's lack of recognition. There's denial in families when there is a problem." Dr. Small also said doctors need more training in recognizing early signs of Alzheimer's. The U.C.L.A. study was based on a national survey of people caring for 1,700 Alzheimer's patients who are not in institutions or nursing homes. The research was paid for by Janssen Pharmaceutica Products, a unit of Johnson & Johnson Inc. and the makers of Reminyl, an Alzheimer's drug. Family members, often a spouse, son or daughter, bear the brunt of the rising costs of caring for Alzheimer's patients, said Dr. Small, who is also director of U.C.L.A.'s Center on Aging. "If you look at overall costs regardless of severity of symptoms, the cost of direct care for patients, going to the hospital, visiting physicians, is about $3,000," Dr. Small said. "The cost to caregivers is about 10 times greater, about $26,000. That's cost translated into missed days at work and hours spent per week caring for patients." In addition to early treatment, more help for people caring for patients may also help control the costs of Alzheimer's, Dr. Small said. According to his study, people spent an average of 85 hours a week caring for patients.
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