Mrs Kristina
Mueller’s life with Parkinson’s can be divided into four stages. The first
stage lasted five years, during which time she maintained good symptom control
on oral treatment and enjoyed a high quality of life. The yearly cost for
medication and doctor’s visits during this period was Euro 2,594/GBP 2,075.
During the second stage, which also
lasted five years, motor fluctuations started and Mrs Mueller suffered severe
dyskinesias. This led to a reduced quality of life, several hospital visits,
doctors’ appointments, medicine adjustments and sick leave. Costs per annum
rose to approximately Euro 124,590/GBP 99,672.
The third stage is defined by a
period of little more than six months when Mrs Mueller underwent apomorphine
pump treatment. This led to improvements in her quality of life and she
returned to work. However, the treatment is expensive and, despite more than a
fifty per cent reduction in the cost of healthcare, the total cost was Euro
124,590/GBP 99,672.
In the fourth stage, due to side
effects and a reduction in the effectiveness of apomorphine, Mrs Mueller began
receiving levodopa/carbidopa treatment. This improved symptoms and she enjoyed
a better quality of life once more. Costs for the first year were slightly over
Euro 40,000/GBP 32,000, which included testing and the start of
levodopa/carbidopa treatment. Over subsequent years, costs were reduced to a
little over Euro 35,000/GBP 28,000 per annum and were almost exclusively
medical, with only a very small amount going towards healthcare.
(This report is based on a real life patient’s case
history, with some details being modified.)
