Cost-effectiveness of current and optimal treatment for adult asthma.
BACKGROUND
This article is part of a project to determine the cost-effectiveness of averting the burden of disease. We used population data to investigate the costs and benefits of allocating resources to optimal treatment for asthma in adults, using a burden of disease framework.


METHODS
We calculated the population burden of asthma in the absence of any treatment as years lived with disability (YLD), ignoring the years of life lost. We then estimated the proportion of burden averted with current interventions, the proportion that could be averted with optimally implemented current evidence-based guidelines and the direct treatment cost-effectiveness ratio in dollarA per YLD averted for both current and optimal treatment.


RESULTS
The direct treatment cost of current treatment of adult asthma in Australia was dollar A452 million and averted 25% of the burden with a cost-effectiveness ratio of dollar A14 000/YLD averted. Optimal treatment and optimal compliance would cost dollar A627 million and avert 69% of the burden with a cost-effectiveness ratio of dollar A7000/YLD averted.


CONCLUSIONS
Implementation of optimal treatment for asthma is affordable, will be more cost-effective and will significantly decrease disability.
Simonella
L
L
School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales. Australia.
Marks
G
G
Sanderson
K
K
Andrews
G
G
D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D001315:Australia; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D009010:Monte Carlo Method; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents