Hospital incidence, mortality and costs of Alzheimer's disease in Spain: a retrospective multicenter study.

BACKGROUND

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia. Its neurodegenerative nature and the lack of a curative treatment result in a substantial burden for healthcare systems and society. This study aimed to analyze the hospital incidence and mortality of AD in Spain and to evaluate patients' use of healthcare resources and direct medical costs.

METHODS

Admission records of patients with AD treated in hospitals in Spain between 2011 and 2016 were selected from a Spanish hospital discharge database.

RESULTS

Records of 7,894 patients with diagnosed AD were analyzed. Hospital incidence was 3.7 per 10,000 persons over the study period, 2.9 and 4.4 for males and females, respectively. In-hospital mortality was 9.5%; both hospital incidence and in-hospital mortality increased over the study period. Mortality was principally associated with acute respiratory failure and other diseases of the respiratory system and heart failure. Annual medical costs of specialized care increased slightly during the study period, with a mean annual cost per patient of €4,969.

CONCLUSIONS

AD is responsible for an increasing proportion of hospitalizations in Spain and raising medical costs, which highlights the importance of early detection and optimized care.