Cost of persistent asthma in Italy. Issue 1 (December 2016)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Dal Negro, Roberto; Distante, Chiara; Bonadiman, Luca; Turco, Paola; Iannazzo, Sergio
• Is Part Of: Multidisciplinary respiratory medicine. Volume 11:Issue 1(2016)
• Page Start: 1
• Page End: 8
• Publication Date: 2016-12
• Subjects: Asthma Cost -- Asthma impact -- Bronchial Asthma -- Pharmacoeconomics; Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Periodicals; Respiratory organs -- Diseases -- Treatment -- Periodicals; 616.2005
• DOI: 10.1186/s40248-016-0080-1
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 2049-6958

Abstract

Abstract Background Asthma is a common disease of the airways with a significant burden for the society and for patients' quality of life. The Social Impact of Respiratory Integrated Outcomes (SIRIO) study estimated a mean cost of 1, 177.40 € per patient/year in Italy, in 2007. The aim of the present study was to update the cost of persistent asthma patients in Italy. Methods An observational, retrospective, bottom-up analysis was carried out starting from the data base operating in the Lung Unit of the Specialist Medical Centre (CEMS), Verona (Italy), over the period June 2013-December 2015. Patients' data were recorded over the 12 ± 2 months before the enrollment and during 12 ± 2 months of follow-up. The prospective was the Italian National Health Service and the broad Italian society. Clinical data were measured in terms of forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1 %) and number of relapses. Healthcare resources (namely; number of hospitalizations and/or ER admissions; number of visits; drug use and duration, and indirect costs) were recorded. Results The cohort consisted of 817 patients with persistent asthma of different severity. They had a 42.96% male prevalence; a mean (±SE) age of 49.06 (±0.64) years; a mean 87.47% (±0.81) FEV1 % pred. in baseline, and 69.16% of subjects had comorbidities. The mean (±SE) number of relapses was 0.91 (±0.09) per patient/year before the enrolment. After 12 months, FEV1 % significantly improved by +6.31% (±0.45) from the corresponding baseline value (p < 0.001). The number of relapses decreased of −0.46 (±0.09) (p < 0.001). The estimated total annual cost per asthmatic patient was 1, 183.14 € (±65.79 €) during the 12 months before the enrolment, and 1, 290.89 € (±68.74 €) throughout the follow-up. The increase was mostly due to the significantly increased duration of therapeutic strategies. The costs of hospitalization, general practitioner and rescue medications were significantly decreased. Conclusions The periodic update of cost analysis is a key to monitor the trend of main asthma outcomes and related expenditure over time. It allows to plan the most convenient actions in terms of prevention strategies and effective interventions, with the aim of optimizing the healthcare resources consumption and maximizing the impact on clinical outcomes and patients' quality of life. The role of an appropriate pharmacological strategy still proves crucial in minimizing asthma morbidity and the corresponding socio-economic impact.