Home › Research › Costs and economics
The economic burden of subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia: excess costs and associated clinical and risk factors
Gläser E, Kilimann I, Platen M, Hoffmann W, Brosseron F, Buerger K, Coenjaerts M, Düzel E, Ewers M, Fliessbach K, Frommann I, Gemenetzi M, et al.. Alzheimer's research & therapy, 2025-06-26
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Background With the availability of first disease-modifying treatments, evidence on costs across the entire Alzheimer's Continuum, especially for early disease stages, becomes increasingly important to inform healthcare planning, resource allocation, and policy decisions. This study assessed costs and cost-associated factors in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) dementia compared to healthy controls. Methods The German DELCODE cohort study assessed clinical data, healthcare resource use, and informal care provision. Costs were calculated from payer and societal perspectives using standardized unit costs, and multivariate regression analyses identified cost-associated factors. Results From a payer perspective, costs were elevated by 26% for SCD (adjusted mean 5,976€ [95%CI 4,598-7,355€]), 85% for MCI (8,795€ [6,200-11,391€]) and 36% for AD (6,454€ [2,796-10,111€]) compared to controls (4,754€ [3,586-5,922€]). Societal costs were elevated by 52% for SCD (adjusted mean 8,377€ [95%CI 6,009-10,746€]), 170% for MCI (14,886€ [9,524-20,248€]) and 307% for AD (22,481€ [9,994-34,969€]) compared to controls (5,522€ [3,814-7,230€]). APOE e4 negative patients showed higher costs compared to APOE e4 positive patients. Hypertension was associated with higher costs. Conclusions Healthcare costs are already elevated in early subjective and objective cognitive impairment, driven by formal and informal care. The study emphasizes the importance of early interventions to reduce the economic burden and delay progression.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Gläser, E., Kilimann, I., Platen, M., Hoffmann, W., Brosseron, F., Buerger, K., et al. (2025). The economic burden of subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia: excess costs and associated clinical and risk factors. Alzheimer's research & therapy. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01785-9
Vancouver
Gläser E, Kilimann I, Platen M, Hoffmann W, Brosseron F, Buerger K, et al. The economic burden of subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia: excess costs and associated clinical and risk factors. Alzheimer's research & therapy. 2025. doi:10.1186/s13195-025-01785-9. PMID: 40571933.
BibTeX
@article{glaser2025-40571933,
author = {Gläser, E. and Kilimann, I. and Platen, M. and Hoffmann, W. and Brosseron, F. and Buerger, K. and Coenjaerts, M. and Düzel, E. and Ewers, M. and Fliessbach, K. and Frommann, I. and Gemenetzi, M. and others},
title = {{The economic burden of subjective cognitive decline, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's dementia: excess costs and associated clinical and risk factors}},
journal = {Alzheimer's research \& therapy},
year = {2025},
doi = {10.1186/s13195-025-01785-9},
pmid = {40571933},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s13195-025-01785-9}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record's author list ends in “et al.”, so not every author is named. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- This study assessed costs and cost-associated factors in patients with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's Disease (AD) dementia compared to healthy controls.
- Results From a payer perspective, costs were elevated by 26% for SCD (adjusted mean 5,976€ [95%CI 4,598-7,355€]), 85% for MCI (8,795€ [6,200-11,391€]) and 36% for AD (6,454€ [2,796-10,111€]) compared to controls (4,754€ [3,586-5,922€]).
- Societal costs were elevated by 52% for SCD (adjusted mean 8,377€ [95%CI 6,009-10,746€]), 170% for MCI (14,886€ [9,524-20,248€]) and 307% for AD (22,481€ [9,994-34,969€]) compared to controls (5,522€ [3,814-7,230€]).
- APOE e4 negative patients showed higher costs compared to APOE e4 positive patients.
- Hypertension was associated with higher costs.
Why it matters
In this cross-sectional study, payer-perspective costs were elevated by 26% for subjective cognitive decline, 85% for mild cognitive impairment, and 36% for Alzheimer's disease dementia compared with controls, while societal costs were elevated by 52%, 170%, and 307% respectively. It reports that healthcare costs are already elevated in early disease stages and does not test treatment, cure, or prevention.
New to this subject? Start with our plain-English guide: Costs & economics →
Study details
- Study designcross-sectional
- Effect sizeSocietal costs elevated 52% (SCD), 170% (MCI) and 307% (AD dementia) vs controls
- Evidence strengthModerate
Limitations
Relatively small sample size limiting power and generalisability, especially in subgroups; cross-sectional design; self-reported resource use subject to recall bias; controls were selectively recruited and included relatives of AD patients; not all SCD and MCI participants were amyloid-positive, so results may not generalise to an AD-only cohort; and resource use was collected during 2020-2022.
How this study scored 51/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a snapshot of people at one point in time. Scored zero for sample size, studied in people and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it. We have no data on free to read, so that was left out: it earned 50 of the 98 points we could judge it on, which is 51 out of 100.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (Alzheimer's research & therapy) |
| Journal's citation record | 1 / 4 | Alzheimer s Research & Therapy: journal h-index 146 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 4 / 12 | A snapshot of people at one point in time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 4 / 5 | 2025 — within 3 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 0 / 4 | Participant count not stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Effect reported | 2 / 3 | Effect reported as a number, without an interval or test |
| Studied in people | 0 / 3 | Not stated whether this was studied in people — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 3 / 7 | Cited 19 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 2 / 5 | 6.3 citations a year over 3 year(s) since 2025 |
| Impact for its field and year | 4 / 6 | Cited 12.1× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 0 / 6 | No other study in this library cites it |
| Still being cited | 2 / 4 | Cited 19 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 2 / 4 | Last-listed author Bernhard Michalowsky: h-index 31 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | University of Edinburgh: institution h-index 1,378 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 3 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 18 institution(s) in 2 countries |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 40571933) |
| Free to read | — / 2 | Access not recorded — left out of this score |
| Points | 50 / 98 | Scored on 19 of 20 parts. We have no data for the rest, so they are left out: 50 of the 98 points we could judge it on is 51 out of 100. |
| Total | 51 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
Read the original
Full text: free to read — PubMed Central lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 10 Oct 2026).
Related
Studies in the library that share something with this one. The line above each title says what.
Studies this one cites
Referenced by this study and also in the alzhub library, so you can read them here. Showing 12 of 18.
Related studies in Costs and economics
Also tagged “mini-mental”
840 studies in the library carry the topic tag “mini-mental”; these are this study's neighbours in a fixed, alphabetical-by-hash tour of them, not the closest in content. All 840 tagged studies.