The Burden of Epilepsy in Thailand: Estimating Societal Costs and Quality of Life

Background Epilepsy imposes both economic and quality‐of‐life (QOL) burdens. Therefore, this study is aimed at evaluating the costs of illness and QOL in patients with epilepsy (PWE) and their caregivers and to examine the differences in costs and QOL across patient characteristics. Methods This prevalence‐based cost‐of‐illness study was conducted from a societal perspective. Data were collected from patients who attended the Epilepsy Clinic at Srinagarind Hospital, Khon Kaen University, between April and August 2023. QOLs were assessed using the Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory‐31 (QOLIE‐31) for PWE and the EuroQoL‐5D‐5L (EQ‐5D‐5L) for caregivers. A generalized linear model was used to assess the differences in costs and QOL across patient and caregiver characteristics. Results A total of 214 subjects were enrolled in this study, comprising 129 PWE and 85 caregivers. The mean total cost of illness per outpatient visit was 452.27 PPP‐USD, with 58.0% attributed to direct medical costs, 24.4% to direct nonmedical costs, and 17.6% to indirect costs. Direct medical costs differed significantly based on employment status (p value = 0.031) and seizure control (p value = 0.018). Direct nonmedical costs showed differences by residential distance (p value < 0.001). Indirect costs also showed differences by age (p value = 0.019) and residential distance (p value = 0.002). The lifetime productivity loss from unemployment reached 14638.37 PPP‐USD per patient. The mean overall QOLIE‐31 score was 74.04 points, and the mean EQ‐5D‐5L index was 0.90. There were differences in QOL based on age and seizure control in PWE, as well as age and unemployment status in caregivers. Conclusion Direct medical costs were the largest component of total costs. Cost differences were found across age, employment status, residential distance, and seizure control. QOL varied by age and seizure control in PWE and by age and unemployment status in caregivers.