Direct/Indirect costs and QoL in Greek patients with COPD and Bronchial Asthma

Aim: To estimate the direct/indirect costs of COPD and Bronchial Asthma (BA), since in Greece very few attempts have been done to measure these costs and available data are insufficient. Methods: This study was performed in the Pulmonary Department of Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 9G. Papanikolaou9 General Hospital and 110 patients (pts) with COPD and 98 pts with BA who visited the hospital for the first ime were enrolled. The enrollment period was 1 year and the follow up duration was 1 year from the time of diagnosis. The calculations of the direct/indirect costs were performed as well as correlations of these costs with pts9 demographics, stage and type of disease, number of treatments and exacerbations, response to treatment and survival. Patients9 quality of life (QoL) and satisfaction from the health services provided were recorded and correlated with direct/indirect costs. Results: The total mean costs per patient in 1 year follow up was higher for pts with COPD (Direct cost: 3.889,08€, Indirect cost: 18,01€) than pts with BA (Direct cost: 826,11€, Indirect cost: 15,67€). In COPD higher costs were observed in pts over 70 years old, of secondary education and pensioners, while for BA higher costs were observed mainly in women. Pts with BA had improvement in their QoL 1 year after diagnosis. In the contrary, pts with COPD showed stable or deteriorated QoL during the same period of time. Improved QoL was associated with increased direct/indirect costs for both diseases. Conclusions: The higher annual burden of COPD pts compared to pts suffering with BA is probably due to the infectious exacerbations COPD pts experience, which usually leads them to hospitalization.