The Cost of PD in Canada
According to the data gathered by Health Canada, the total cost of Parkinson’s disease to the Canadian economy is $558.1 million per year. That figure includes direct costs to the economy such as hospital care, drugs, physician care, and research. It also includes indirect costs such as lost production due to disability and premature death.
The report also highlights the immediate costs to individuals living with Parkinson’s. Estimates place the cost of medicine at $1000 per month for the typical Canadian living with the disease. Surgery, a helpful option for selected individuals with Parkinson’s, costs an estimated $15,000 - $20,000 per procedure. However, because of the high costs, and the limited accessibility of experienced neurosurgeons, many of the people who qualify for surgery never undergo the procedure.
I say thank goodness for socialized medicine.
Health Canada’s original EBIC report shows that seniors (people over the age of 65) account for almost 25 per cent of the total Nervous System / Sense Organ disease costs. The same report states that seniors account for 90 per cent of the total Parkinson’s costs. This is a particularly troubling statistic considering many seniors live on a fixed income and the number of people over 65 is expected to rise dramatically over the next 30 years. .
Prevalence of Parkinson’s disease
An estimated 55,000 Canadians aged 18 or older living in private households reported that they had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. This represented 0.2% (95% CI: 0.2%, 0.3%) of the household population, unchanged from the 2000/2001 CCHS prevalence estimate. As well, 12,500 residents of long-term residential care facilities—4.9% (95% CI: 4.8%, 5.0%)—reported a Parkinson’s diagnosis. Among the household population, 79% with Parkinson’s were 65 or older; in institutions, almost everyone (97%) with the condition was 65 or older.
Overall, men were more likely than women to have Parkinson’s disease: 0.3% versus 0.2% (p < 0.05) for those in private households, and 6.6% versus 4.0% (p < 0.05) for residents of institutions.
In general, the prevalence of Parkinson’s disease increased with age, although in the institutionalized population, prevalence decreased in the oldest age group. This may reflect greater disease severity and higher mortality among older people in institutions compared with those in private households. As well, being male and the presence of symptoms such as severe motor impairment, psychosis and dementia have been associated with earlier death among people with Parkinson’s.
Sources- Cost - Parkinson Society of Canada
Prevealence - Statistics Canada>
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