Dr. José Luis Molinuevo participates in a paper on the “hidden costs” of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia

The scientific director of the Alzheimer’s Prevention Research Program at BBRC, Dr José Luis Molinuevo, published on July 23d the paper Tip of the Iceberg: Assessing the Global Socioeconomic Costs of Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Dementias and Strategic Implications for Stakeholders, on Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. The analysis, from an international team of experts from academia, research institutes, health care organizations, consulting firms and Alzheimer’s Research UK, looked at the true cost of Alzheimer’s disease and Related Dementias (ADRD).

The study found that socioeconomic costs such as the cost of healthcare for care partners/carers, reduced quality of life and “hidden” costs that stack up before diagnosis are overlooked by current estimates of the condition’s economic impact.

The authors also argue that better data on the extent of these costs is vital for informing future dementia policy. “A properly estimated cost of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias will result in an enormous impact on our currently fragile supports system and should also reflect on the value of implementing potential preventive strategies” Dr Molinuevo said.

Aside from BBRC, the review was also authored by experts from Alzheimer’s Research UK, Shift Health (Canada), University of Exeter (UK) and Banner Sun Health Research Institute (USA) and the Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Harvard Medical School (USA).