Amira Siddig
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Abbasher Hussien Mohamed Ahmed
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Khabab Abbasher Hussien Mohamed Ahmed
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Mohammed Eltahier Abdalla Omer
Abstract
Background
Epilepsy is a common disease, and its economic consequences are manifested in frequent hospital visits, examinations and treatments.
Objective
To estimate the direct costs of epilepsy among Sudanese epileptic patients. Design and
methods
The study was conducted on some clinical cases of epilepsy patients in Sudan. Data on clinical characteristics, utilization of medical services, and costs were collected from 380\ patients using a standardized pre-tested format. The patients’ approval was obtained as necessary.
Results
Direct medical care costs was (2,395 Sudanese Pounds “SDG”, 417 American Dollars “USD”) per year per patient, of which antiepileptic drugs was the major component (1,587 SDG, 276 USD). Other costs are medical consultations and hospitalization charges (SDG 148, 26 USD), investigations cost (146 SDG, 25 USD), and cost of travel to clinics (514 SDG, 90 USD). Nonmedical direct cost - in form of traditional healers' visits were reported by 13.5% of the patients and estimated to be (1,422 SDG, 251 USD) per patient per year. The overall mean annual cost for epilepsy per patient in our clinic was approximately (2,724 SDG, 474 USD).
Conclusion
The economic burden of epilepsy patients is relatively high, and payers in Sudan have many characteristics and significant differences from other countries.