Childhood asthma: healthcare resource utilisation in those with and without a diagnosis of the condition.
OBJECTIVE
To examine healthcare utilisation and the direct financial costs in providing medical care to a population of children aged 5-15 years with respiratory complaints. Secondarily, to assess whether these costs depended upon having specific asthma diagnosis or not.


METHODS
A postal respiratory questionnaire was sent to the parents or guardians of all children registered with two general practices. A search of the general practice medical records over a 2-year reference period was made for a stratified random sample and results are presented for 488 children aged 5-15 years.


RESULTS
The cost of primary care lower respiratory tract consultations in children with 4-5 symptoms/risk factors was pounds sterling 17.02 per patient per year for those with a previous diagnosis of asthma compared with pounds sterling 6.08 per patient per year for those with the same number of symptoms but no diagnosis (t = -4.446, P<0.001). The cost of primary care lower respiratory consultations in those with no GP diagnosis of asthma and no symptoms/risk factors was pounds sterling 2.25 per patient per year.


CONCLUSIONS
Studies, which fail to include the costs associated with treating children with respiratory symptoms but without a formal diagnosis, will seriously underestimate the costs of treating asthmatic children.
Frank
Timothy L
TL
GP Research Unit, North West Lung Research Centre, Wythenshawe Hospital, Manchester M23 9LT, UK. gpresearchunit@yahoo.co.uk
Cropper
Jennifer A
JA
Hazell
Michelle L
ML
Frank
Peter I
PI
Hannaford
Philip C
PC
D000293:Adolescent; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000191:economics / Q000628:therapy*; D002648:Child; D002662:Child Health Services / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005194:Family Practice / Q000191:economics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000191:economics; D012307:Risk Factors
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents