Economic burden of childhood asthma in children attending a follow-up clinic in a resource-poor setting of Southeast Nigeria

Background: Beyond its chronicity, childhood asthma carries an economic burden for households. In this study we evaluated the cost of care of childhood asthma in a Nigerian household. Methods: A cross-sectional hospital-based study. Relevant information was obtained through an interviewer-administered questionnaire. The cost of asthma treatment was estimated using direct medical costs and loss in productivity. Data analysis was done with SPSS version 22. A significant value of p < 0.05 was used. Results: Sixty-six participants were enrolled, mean +/- SD age (11.6 +/- ) the average direct cost was USD10.35. The cost of drug was USD5.8 and accounted for 56% of the direct cost. The loss in productivity was USD16.73. The mean cost per clinic visit was USD27.08, which was catastrophic in 12 (18.2%) households. The calculated annual cost of asthma treatment was USD162.49, with a cumulative national cost of USD 0.16 billion, which makes up 0.002% of the national GDP. Conclusion: The cost burden of asthma treatment may be low on the households but carries a huge national cost impact. We recommend the inclusion of asthma care in the Nigerian social health insurance as this may help reduce the financial burden due to asthma. (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.