Evaluation of the brazilian public Alzheimer's disease treatment program in 2008

• Author(s): Moraes,Edgar Nunes ; Cintra,Marco Túlio Gualberto ; Belém,Dinah ; Moraes,Flávia Lanna
• Date: 2013
• Origin: Oasisbr
• Subject(s): Anticholinesterasics, Alzheimer's disease, dementia
• Document Type: Journal article
• Language: English

Description

INTRODUCTION: The Healthcare Program for Alzheimer's Disease Carriers established in 2002 that anticholinesterasic drugs should be provided on a free basis in Brazil.
OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the estimates for the program coverage based on data regarding the delivery of anticholinesterasics in several regions and states of Brazil.
METHODOLOGY: It was estimated the number of elderly individuals with dementia per state based on Brazilian epidemiological studies (7.1%). It was predicted that 60% of these individuals had probable or possible Alzheimer's disease (AD), and the delivery of anticholinesterasics (IChEs) to 50% of this population was established as the major goal by the Brazilian program. Brazilian Health System as well as the Superintendence of Pharmaceutical Aid of Minas Gerais State Secretary of Health and IBGE provided data on outpatient care.
RESULTS: The prevalence of dementia symptoms was of 1,332,034 cases. Of these, 799,220 patients had AD. In 2008, the Ministry of Health provided IChEs to 47,886 patients at a yearly cost of R$ 99.747.356,53. The program coverage reached only 12% of the patients who were eligible for receiving IChEs. This rate varied from 1.2% in Amazon state to 22.3% in São Paulo state. The most prescribed anticholinesterasic drug was Rivastigmine (71.4%).
CONCLUSION: The program coverage was found to be low and extremely variable in 2008, possibly because of both poor diagnosis of AD and regional differences in the access to the program.