Costs of dementia in Brazil.

Background: Given the increasing number of people with dementia in Brazil, there is an urgency for health and social systems to plan strategies to meet the needs of this population and their families. Therefore, research on dementia costs is essential. This study estimated direct and indirect costs related to dementia in Brazil.

Methods: We employed the cost of illness study methodology to estimate dementia-related costs. Moreover, we used household interview data from the ReNaDe project and public, free-of-charge national databases to collect service use and values information. The societal and the SUS (Brazilian Universal Health System) perspectives were adopted.

Results: The monthly cost of dementia per individual increases with the syndrome's progression from US$ 843.04 in the initial stage to US$ 1,317.81 in the intermediate stage, peaking at US$ 1,576.15 in the advanced stage. Indirect costs constitute at least 73% of total expenses. When considering the costs for Brazil, it is in the intermediate stage of dementia that the country's total expenses are the highest.

Conclusions: Family caregivers shoulder at least 73% of the health-related costs of dementia in Brazil, highlighting the need to improve and create supporting strategies for people with dementia and their families.