title: Economic costs for adult asthmatics according to severity and control status in Korean tertiary hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The prevalence of asthma is increasing, and asthma causes considerable socioeconomic burden worldwide. Few studies have been conducted to evaluate the risk factors associated with economic cost of asthma in Korea. This study evaluated asthma cost according to severity, control, and patient factors in Korean tertiary hospitals.
  
  
  METHODS
  Direct and indirect costs were assessed in physician-diagnosed adult asthmatics recruited from eight tertiary hospitals in Korea. Official direct medical costs were derived from the analysis of 1-year expenditures related to hospital care utilization and asthma medication. Nonofficial medical costs, nonmedical direct costs, and indirect costs were investigated using a questionnaire designed specifically for the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 314 patients with persistent asthma were recruited. Both direct and indirect costs were significantly higher for patients with severe persistent asthma than for those with mild and moderate persistent asthma ($2214 vs. $871 and $978, p < .001; $2927 vs. $490 and $443, p < .001, respectively). Costs of asthma increased significantly in poorly controlled compared with somewhat controlled and well-controlled asthma ($7009.8 vs. $2725.3 vs. $1517.3, respectively; p < .001). After stratification for severity, a significant cost increase in the poorly controlled asthma group was observed only for indirect costs and not for direct costs. A multivariate analysis showed that female gender was a risk factor for increased indirect costs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The burden of asthma was higher both for patients with severe persistent asthma and for patients with poorly controlled asthma. More effective strategies are needed to improve control status, particularly targeting patients with severe asthma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Sae-Hoon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Tae-Wan
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Jae-Woo
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.forename: Hye-Ryun
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Kang
authors.forename: Yong-Won
authors.initials: YW
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Tae-Bum
authors.initials: TB
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Sang-Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Heung-Woo
authors.initials: HW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Sung-Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Yoon-Seok
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: You-Sook
authors.initials: YS
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Jung-Won
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Young-Joo
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Ho-Joo
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Yoon
authors.forename: Sang-Heon
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Cho
authors.forename: Byoung-Whui
authors.initials: BW
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: Hee-Bom
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Moon
authors.forename: Kyung-Up
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Min
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000553:Ambulatory Care / Q000191:economics; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000191:economics; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000191:economics* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy; D000529:Complementary Therapies / Q000191:economics; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000191:economics; D006761:Hospitals / Q000145:classification*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008518:Medicine, East Asian Traditional / Q000191:economics; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012737:Sex Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents