Medical and employment-related costs of epilepsy in the USA

Evaluation of: Ivanova JI, Birnbaum HG, Kidolezi Y et al. Economic burden of epilepsy among the privately insured in the US. Pharmacoeconomics 28(8), 675-685 (2010). Epilepsy is a chronic condition characterized by recurrent unprovoked seizures. Epilepsy is typically treated with antiepileptic drugs, although surgery is superior to medical therapy for those who are resistant to medications, and is more more cost effective when successful. The discussion article examines the direct medical costs of epilepsy and the rate of medically related absenteeism compared with a matched control group in the USA. Individuals with epilepsy were found to have significantly higher medical costs and more short- and long-term disability days. This article demonstrates that claims data can be used to assess the indirect impact of epilepsy on employment; however, the addition of other datasets is necessary to more comprehensively assess the impact of epilepsy on employment-related outcomes.