The societal costs of dementia in Sweden 2012-relevance and methodological challenges in valuing informal care

Background: In this study, we sought to estimate the societal cost of illness in dementia in Sweden in 2012 using different costing approaches to highlight methodological issues. Methods: We conducted a prevalence-based cost-of-illness study with a societal perspective. Results: The societal costs of dementia in Sweden in 2012 were SEK 62.9 billion (approximately (sic) 7.2 billion, approximately US$ 9.0 billion) or SEK 398,000 per person with dementia (approximately (sic) 45,000, approximately US$ 57,000). By far the most important cost item is the cost of institutional care: about 60% of the costs. In the sensitivity analysis, different quantification and costing approaches for informal care resulted in a great variation in the total societal cost, ranging from SEK 60 billion ((sic) 6.8 billion, US$ 8.6 billion) to SEK 124 billion ((sic) 14.1 billion, US$ 17.8 billion). Conclusions: The societal costs of dementia are very high. The cost per person with dementia has decreased somewhat, mainly because of de-institutionalisation. The majority of the costs occur in the social care sector, but the costing of informal care is crucial for the cost estimates.Erratum in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy. Vol. 9 Article number 12. DOI: 10.1186/s13195-017-0244-z