New insights into the burden and costs of multiple sclerosis in Europe: Results for Belgium

Introduction: In order to estimate the value of interventions in multiple sclerosis (MS) - where lifetime costs and outcomes cannot be observed - outcome data have to be combined with costs. This requires that cost data be regularly updated. Objectives and methods: This study is part of a cross-sectional retrospective study in 16 countries collecting data on resource consumption and work capacity, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and prevalent symptoms for patients with MS. Descriptive analyses are presented by level of severity, from the societal perspective, in EUR 2015. Results: A total of 1856 patients (mean age: 54years) participated in Belgium; 66% were below retirement age, and of these, 44% were employed. Employment was related to disease severity, and MS affected productivity at work in 85% of the patients. Overall, 95% and 72% of the patients experienced fatigue and cognitive difficulties, respectively, as a problem. Mean utility and annual costs were 0.703 and sic26,400 at Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) 0-3, 0.478 and sic45,300 at EDSS 4-6.5, and 0.193 and sic62,000 at EDSS 7-9. The mean cost of a relapse was estimated to be sic3000. Conclusion: This study provides current data on MS in Belgium that are important for development of health policies and for estimating the value of current and future treatments.