COST EFFECTIVENESS ANALYSIS OF IMPLEMENTING A SCREENING PROGRAM FOR EARLY-STAGE ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE DETECTION
2024

Cost-Effectiveness of Early Alzheimer’s Disease Detection Screening

Sample size: 1000 publication Evidence: high

Author Information

Author(s): Jung Yeongin, Wu Kaili, Alnufeay Mashael, Jin Xiaotong, Ballreich Jeromie, Drabo Emmanuel

Primary Institution: Johns Hopkins University

Hypothesis

Is the blood biomarker testing for early-stage Alzheimer's Disease more cost-effective than a sequential approach with Aβ-PET scan confirmation?

Conclusion

Blood biomarker testing alone is more cost-effective than using a sequential approach with Aβ-PET scan for early Alzheimer's detection.

Supporting Evidence

  • Strategy 1 produced 891 incremental QALYs at an additional cost of $49.2 million.
  • The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $55,194/QALY gained.
  • The findings were robust to uncertainties in model input parameters.

Takeaway

This study found that testing blood for Alzheimer's signs is cheaper and better than doing a second test with a brain scan.

Methodology

A hybrid model combining a decision tree and a Markov model was used to simulate screening decisions and outcomes over 35 years.

Participant Demographics

Older adults aged 65 and above with early-stage brain abnormalities.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

10.1093/geroni/igae098.3089

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