2023 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Objective:

To investigate the direct and indirect costs of Functional Neurological Disorders
To investigate whether any interventions to treat Functional Neurological Disorders appear to be cost-effective

Background:

Functional Neurological Disorders (FND) are a collection of neurological symptoms which arise despite lack of an identifiable pathophysiological disease process. The view of FND as a diagnosis of exclusion can lead to unnecessary healthcare resource utilisation, which carries both direct and indirect economic costs. A systematic review was performed to assess these economic costs, and to assess for any cost-effective treatments.

Design/Methods:

A literature search was conducted on Pubmed, PsycInfo, Medline, EMBASE, and the National Health Service Economic Evaluations Database of the University of York, yielding a total of 3,244 studies. A hand-search of conference abstracts was also conducted. 16 studies were included after screening.

Results:

Studies showed an excess cost associated with FND, and showed promise that interventions, including provision of a definitive diagnosis, could reduce this cost. No cost-effective treatments were identified. Study comparison was limited by study design and location heterogeneity

Conclusions:

Functional Neurological Disorders are associated with significant use of healthcare resources, resulting in economic costs to both the patient and the exchequer, as well as intangible losses. Interventions, including accurate diagnosis, appear to offer an avenue towards reducing these costs.