Estimating the fiscal consequences of Alzheimer's disease (AD) on patients and informal carers using a UK public economic perspective.
Methods
A simulated cohort of 1,000 pairs of people with AD and informal carers was compared with 1,000 demographically identical pairs in the general population. Both cohorts enter the model at the mean age of mild cognitive impairment onset. Time to AD onset was based on the literature and AD progression was modelled using published equations and a state-transition microsimulation. Labour participation, financial support, and paid taxes were linked to cognitive decline and caregiving needs using UK labour statistics and tax rates. Healthcare costs were based on published literature. Future costs and life-years were discounted at 3.5%. Results were reported as incremental differences in total tax revenue, financial support, and healthcare costs, over the AD continuum, between cohorts affected and unaffected by AD