Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2014:2014:613701.
doi: 10.1155/2014/613701. Epub 2014 Feb 5.

Comparisons of Costs between Black Caribbean and White British Patients with Advanced Multiple Sclerosis in the UK

Wayne Smith  1 , Paul McCrone  1 , Cassie Goddard  2 , Wei Gao  2 , Rachel Burman  2 , Diana Jackson  2 , Irene Higginson  2 , Eli Silber  3 , Jonathan Koffman  2
Affiliations

Comparisons of Costs between Black Caribbean and White British Patients with Advanced Multiple Sclerosis in the UK

Wayne Smith et al. Mult Scler Int. 2014.

Abstract

Background. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is now more common among black and minority ethnic groups in the UK but little is known about the costs of care amongst different ethnic groups. Objective. This study examined and compared service use and costs for people severely affected with MS from Black Caribbean (BC) and White British (WB) backgrounds in the UK and identified predictors of cost for both groups. Method. Population-based cross-sectional study of 43 BC and 43 WB patients with MS (EDSS ≥ 6) and their informal caregivers recruited from an MS service in southeast London. Interviews collected data on health and social service use and informal care support. Costs were calculated using UK unit cost data. Using regression analyses we compared costs between the ethnic groups and identified possible predictors of cost. Results. The mean (SD) costs for the WB and BC groups were £ 25,778 ( £ 39,387) and £ 23,186 ( £ 30,433), respectively. Results identified no significant difference in total cost between the two ethnic groups. The EDSS score alone was a significant predictor of cost. Conclusion. Similar costs between ethnic groups indicate that with regard to this MS service and geographical area, access to care was not affected by ethnicity.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Mean cost and standard errors (SE) in each EDSS group for sample n = 86.
Figure 2
Figure 2
The mean cost in each EDSS group for Black Caribbean and White British participants.
Figure 3
Figure 3
The mean formal care cost in each EDSS group for Black Caribbean and White British participants.
Figure 4
Figure 4
The mean informal care cost in each EDSS group for Black Caribbean and White British participants.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Box plot of overall costs for sample n = 86.
Figure 6
Figure 6
Box plot of overall costs for Black Caribbean and White British groups.
Figure 7
Figure 7
Box plot of formal care costs for Black Caribbean and White British groups.
Figure 8
Figure 8
Box plot of informal care costs for Black Caribbean and White British groups.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Julian L, Merluzzi NM, Mohr DC. The relationship among depression, subjective cognitive impairment, and neuropsychological performance in multiple sclerosis. Multiple Sclerosis. 2007;13(1):81–86. - PubMed
    1. Higginson IJ, Hart S, Silber E, Burman R, Edmonds P. Symptom prevalence and severity in people severely affected by multiple sclerosis. Journal of Palliative Care. 2006;22(3):158–165. - PubMed
    1. Steinman L. Multiple sclerosis: two-stage disease. Nature Immunology. 2001;2(9):762–764. - PubMed
    1. Higginson IJ, McCrone P, Hart SR, Burman R, Silber E, Edmonds PM. Is short-term palliative care cost-effective in multiple sclerosis? A randomized phase II trial. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2009;38(6):816–826. - PubMed
    1. McCrone P, Heslin M, Knapp M, Bull P, Thompson A. Multiple sclerosis in the UK: service use, costs, quality of life and disability. PharmacoEconomics. 2008;26(10):847–860. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources