[Costs study in Alzheimer's disease].
UNLABELLED: The Alzheimer disease (AD) it constitutes one of the socio-sanitary and economic problems and more important in the systems of health of the developed countries. Also, this problem will be increased in next years with the population's progressive aging and the biggest incidence of this illness. The family will support the biggest load in the care of these patients. The devices like the units by day will give a bigger independence to these families. OBJECTIVES: It is sought to study the direct sanitary and social costs of a group of patients with AD that live in the area of health of Guadalajara. They will be evaluated the global cost and I average according to the degree of deterioration, sex, and age. The aspects will be determined that more they influence in these costs, as the epidemic variables and the associate comorbility. MATERIAL AND METHODS: An observational and descriptive study was designed on 337 patients of EA, selected according to the registries of the section of neurology of the university and General Hospital of Guadalajara, the registrations EAP of the centres of health of the area, and the existent ones in two nursing homes of our environment. For the obtaining of the data the clinical histories were used. The used computer systems were: the EPINFO V.6 & SPSS V, DBASE IV, EXCEL, and the system of hospital costs of the University and General Hospital of Guadalajara. For the analysis of the data an error typo I p < 0.05 was used, this analysis began with the test of Kolmorov-Smirnov to contrast the normality of the curves of distribution of data of each variable. RESULTS: 76% was women and the rest males. The global stocking of age was of 73 0.63 years, with more age in the women. The associate comorbility was bigger in the men. The stocking of the consumption of pharmacotherapy was of 3.1. The costs of the consultations carried out for these patients were of a stocking of 2.064,75 euros patient/year, and that of the complementary explorations of 639 euros for patient/year. The pharmacy cost was of 4.560 euros patient/year, with more expense in women and in the degree sick persons II of the EA. The hospital half stay was of 10.8 days with a cost for each entrance and patient of 2.778 euros. In Primary Attention the cost for patient and year was of 8.615 euros. The cost of these patients in the residences was of 11.900 euros for patient and year, in those of private administration, and of 12.982 euros in those of mixed administration, according to the degree of deterioration, the pharmacy expense was of 2.470 euros for those of degree I, of 141.359 euros for those of degree II and of 31.059,10 euros for those of the degree III. CONCLUSIONS: The half cost of the attendance is three times adult that the pensions received by these sick persons, for that that the patients and/or the families support more than 60% of the direct cost. The families don't have this way more remedy than to increase their expenses because neither the society neither the sanitary system have still given an appropriate answer to the problem of this illness.