Objectives : To estimate the annual socioeconomic costs
of stroke in Korea in 2005 from a societal perspective.
Methods : We identified those 20 years or older who had
at least one national health insurance (NHI) claims record
with a primary or a secondary diagnosis of stroke (ICD-10
codes: I60-I69, G45) in 2005. Direct medical costs of the
stroke were measured from the NHI claims records. Direct
non-medical costs were estimated as transportation costs
incurred when visiting the hospitals. Indirect costs were
defined as patients and caregivers productivity loss
associated with office visits or hospitalization. Also, the
costs of productivity loss due to premature death from
stroke were calculated.
Results : A total of 882,143 stroke patients were
identified with prevalence for treatment of stroke at 2.44%.
The total cost for the treatment of stroke in the nation was
estimated to be 3,737 billion Korean won (KRW) which
included direct costs at 1,130 billion KRW and indirect
costs at 2,606 billion KRW. The per-capita cost of stroke
was 3 million KRW for men and 2 million KRW for women.
The total national spending for hemorrhagic and ischemic
stroke was 1,323 billion KRW and 1,553 billion KRW,
respectively, which together consisted of 77.0% of the total
cost for stroke. Costs per patient for hemorrhagic and
ischemic stroke were estimated at 6 million KRW and 2
million KRW, respectively.
Conclusions : Stroke is a leading public health problem in
Korea in terms of the economic burden. The indirect costs
were identified as the largest component of the overall cost.