title: The economic impact of preschool asthma and wheeze.
abstract: The aim of the present study was to determine the economic impact in the UK of wheezing disorders in preschool children. Health, societal and family-borne costs were calculated for a sample of 94 preschool children who attended hospital with a primary diagnosis of wheeze or asthma during 1998/1999. Sample costs were calculated using data from a structured interview schedule and from symptom diaries completed by trial parents, patients' general practice and hospital records, and hospital finance data. Health costs for 1-5-yr-olds in the UK were calculated using data from a postal population survey in the same region. It is estimated that 1-5-yr-old children with wheeze in the UK cost the health service a total of 53 million UK pounds (GBP). The greatest expenditure, 34 million GBP, was for primary care, representing 65.2% of total healthcare costs. Prescription costs represented 20.4% (11 million GBP) of total healthcare costs. Caring for preschool children with wheeze in the UK cost the health service 0.15% of its total budget in 1998/1999. The total costs to society of caring for the 0.88% of preschool children who attended hospital for asthma or wheeze in a year represented a further 2.6 million UK pounds. Primary prevention strategies at the population level promise more cost savings than any attempt at decreasing hospitalisations in those more severely ill.
authors.affiliation: Leicester Children's Asthma Centre, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK. Caroline.Mulvaney@nottingham.ac.uk
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Stevens
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Kuehni
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Couriel
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Silverman
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000628:therapy*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D017281:Cost of Illness; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019538:Health Care Surveys / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012135:Respiratory Sounds / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013997:Time Factors; D006113:United Kingdom