Health Economic Impact of Multiple Sclerosis in Australia in 2021: An Interim Update of Prevalence, Costs and Cost of Illness from 2017 to 2021

Following our comprehensive report titled Health Economic Impact of Multiple Sclerosis in Australia in 2017 commissioned by MS Research Australia and published in 2018 (1), this Interim Report was requested by MS Australia to provide an update on the prevalence of MS in Australia,  the per person costs and the total cost of illness for people living with MS in Australia in 2021. 

It is envisaged that this brief Interim Report will precede a comprehensive report in future years, particularly given the escalation of prevalence noted in this report, and the current inflationary economic climate in 2022.

 

There were 33,335 people living with MS in Australia in 2021.

This is an increase of 7,728 people (from 25,607 people) in four years from 2017. Notably, this increase is accelerating (more than doubled) from our previous estimate from 2010 to 2017 where there was an increase of 4,324 people.

Taking the 2021 Australian Census population estimates into account (and noting slowed population growth from the previous reporting period due to COVID-19 and the halt in overseas migration to Australia), there were 131.12 people living with MS per 100,000 people in Australia in 2021. This is an increase from 103.7 per 100,000 people in 2017 and aligns with the increase in prevalence in local areas of Australia and globally.

 

Annual per person costs in Australia in 2021 were $73,457 an increase of $5,075 from 2017.

Annual per person costs increased with increasing disability levels from $32,829 for people with MS with no disability to $123,333 for people with severe disability.

 

Total costs for all people with MS in Australia have increased from $1.751 billion in 2017 to $2.449 billion in 2021. This increase reflects both the increasing number of people with MS in Australia and the change in consumer price index (CPI) from 2017 to 2021.