EVROSTON LP, Chatzigianni Mexi 5, 115 28, Athens, Greece.
1st Respiratory Medicine Department, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Sotiria Chest Diseases Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Appl Health Econ Health Policy. 2019 Oct;17(5):629-640. doi: 10.1007/s40258-019-00469-4.
The high prevalence rates of asthma worldwide and the chronic nature of the disease make asthma a major cause of morbidity, imposing a significant socio-economic burden in many countries. Specifically in Greece, the self-reported prevalence of asthma reached 9% in 2017.
The objective of this study was to estimate the total management cost of asthma in Greece and its potential determinants.
A population-based, random-digit-dialed telephone nationwide survey was conducted to recruit patients with asthma in Greece (n = 353). A structured questionnaire was used to collect data on demographic and lifestyle characteristics, exacerbations, asthma control, medical resource utilization, and productivity loss during the past 12 months. The total annual direct cost from the societal, payer, and patient perspective as well as the indirect cost was calculated. All costs refer to the year 2017 (€). The significance level was set to α = 0.05.
The mean (95% confidence interval) annual total cost per patient for asthma management from the societal, payer, and patient perspective was €895 (696-1105), €673 (497-861), and €151 (119-188), respectively. The direct medical cost accounted for almost 90% of the total cost, whereas only 4% was attributed to the indirect cost. The direct medical cost was mainly driven by the medication cost (48%). The total annual societal cost was statistically significantly higher in those with not well-controlled asthma (p = 0.014) and those experiencing exacerbations during the past 12 months (p < 0.001) than in their counterparts. The total annual economic burden of asthma in Greece was estimated at €727 million and €547 million from the societal and payer perspective, respectively.
Our findings indicate that asthma imposes a high economic burden on society and the healthcare system in Greece. Therefore, greater investment in interventions aimed at asthma control and prevention of acute exacerbations may reduce the overall burden of asthma in Greece.
哮喘在全球的高患病率和疾病的慢性特征使其成为发病率的主要原因，在许多国家造成了重大的社会经济负担。具体在希腊，2017 年自我报告的哮喘患病率达到 9%。
本研究旨在估计希腊哮喘的总管理成本及其潜在决定因素。
我们开展了一项基于人群的、随机数字拨号的全国性电话调查，以招募希腊的哮喘患者（n=353）。使用结构化问卷收集过去 12 个月内患者的人口统计学和生活方式特征、哮喘加重、哮喘控制、医疗资源利用和生产力损失的数据。从社会、支付方和患者角度计算了哮喘的总年度直接成本和间接成本。所有成本均指 2017 年（€）。显著性水平设定为α=0.05。
从社会、支付方和患者角度来看，哮喘管理的患者年度总费用分别为€895（696-1105）、€673（497-861）和€151（119-188）。直接医疗费用占总费用的近 90%，而间接费用仅占 4%。直接医疗费用主要由药物费用（48%）驱动。在过去 12 个月中哮喘控制不佳（p=0.014）和经历过哮喘加重（p<0.001）的患者中，总年度社会成本显著更高。希腊哮喘的年度总社会经济负担估计为€727 百万和€547 百万，分别从社会和支付方角度来看。
我们的研究结果表明，哮喘给希腊社会和医疗保健系统带来了沉重的经济负担。因此，对旨在控制哮喘和预防急性加重的干预措施进行更多投资，可能会降低希腊哮喘的整体负担。
