Ischaemic Stroke in New Zealand: an Economic Study

Aim: To quantify and describe the annual cost of ischaemic stroke to New Zealand society during 1992.

Methods: A prevalence or cross sectional approach employing incremental estimation was used to estimate costs from the perspective of society. The study used unit record hospital and mortality data.

Results: Direct costs ranged from $93 million to $140 m and loss of production was between $6 m and $14 m. Total quantified costs were estimated to lie between $99 m and $154 m. Hospital and continuing care costs when combined make up 90% of all quantified costs.

Conclusion: Ischaemic stroke affects mainly older people many of whom are discharged into the community and require costly community support or continuing care. The combination of an ageing population, increasing survival rates and constant incidence rates will result in a substantial rise in the costs of continuing care and community support. Most of these costs are at present obscured because much of the care provided does not involve money payments and/or data are not recorded and collated on a national basis. Incorrect policy decisions will be made if the nonhospital costs of stroke are not taken into account.