Background: stroke is a leading cause of death and disability globally. The economic costs of stroke are high but not often fully quantified. This paper estimates the economic burden of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA) in Ireland in 2007.
Methods: a prevalence-based approach using a societal perspective is adopted. Both direct and indirect costs are estimated.
Results: total stroke costs are estimated to have been €489-€805 million in 2007, comprising €345-€557 million in direct costs and €143-€248 million in indirect costs. Nursing home care and indirect costs together account for the largest proportion of total stroke costs (74-82%). The total cost of TIA was approximately €11.1 million in 2007, with acute hospital care accounting for 90% of the total.
Conclusions: the chronic phase of the disease accounts for the largest proportion of the total annual economic burden of stroke. This highlights the need to maximise functional outcomes to lessen the longer term economic and personal impacts of stroke.