Assessing medical expenditures on 4 smoking-related diseases, 1996-2001.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the current-period cost of treating 4 major smoking-related diseases: lung cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, ischemic heart disease, and cerebrovascular disease.


METHODS
Analyses are based on the MarketScan database, a medical claims database from large employers.


RESULTS
We found that total expenditures to treat ischemic heart disease were highest, followed by those to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). When median expenditures per claim and disease severity were considered, lung cancer was the most expensive condition to treat and ischemic heart disease the least expensive. Median treatment expenditures increased as the severity of disease increased.


CONCLUSIONS
Treating smoking-related diseases is costly in the current-period and over a lifetime.
Kahende
Jennifer W
JW
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Smoking and Health, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA. JKahende@cdc.gov
Woollery
Trevor A
TA
Lee
Chung-won
CW
D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D017281:Cost of Illness; D016208:Databases, Factual; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000191:economics; D005102:Health Expenditures / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007345:Insurance Claim Review; D038801:International Classification of Diseases; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology