BACKGROUND: Little is known about changes in the costs of illness (COI) among multiple sclerosis (MS) patients during recent years.

OBJECTIVES: To compare the COI among MS patients and matched controls in 2006, 2009, and 2012, respectively, indicating the costs attributable to the MS disease.

METHODS: Three cross-sectional datasets were analyzed, including all MS patients in Sweden aged 20-60 years and five matched controls for each of them. The analyses were based on 10,531 MS patients and 52,655 matched controls for 2006, 11,722 and 58,610 individuals for 2009, and 12,789 and 63,945 for 2012. Nationwide registers, including prescription drug use, specialized healthcare, sick leave, and disability pension, were linked to estimate the prevalence-based COI.

RESULTS: Adjusted for inflation, the average difference in COI between MS patients and matched controls were Swedish Krona (SEK) 243,751 (95% confidence interval: SEK 239,171-248,331) in 2006, SEK 238,971 (SEK 234,516-243,426) in 2009, and SEK 225,923 (SEK 221,630-230,218) in 2012. The difference in indirect costs were SEK 170,502 (SEK 166,478-174,525) in 2006, SEK 158,839 (SEK 154,953-162,726) in 2009, and SEK 141,280 (SEK 137,601-144,960) in 2012.

CONCLUSION: The inflation-adjusted COI of MS patients was lower in 2012 than in 2006, in particular regarding indirect costs.