title: [Costs of illness for asthma and COPD in adults in Germany].
abstract: BACKGROUND; Asthma and COPD have a high and growing epidemiological impact worldwide, and it is often indicated that significant economic costs are linked to this. The aim of this review is to estimate the cost-of-illness for both diseases for adults in Germany.
  
  
  METHODS
  A systematic search of Pubmed, Embase, EconLit and Business Source Complete was performed for the years 1995-2012 to identify German cost-of-illness studies for asthma and COPD in German or English language. 6 studies for asthma, 7 studies for COPD and 1 for both diseases met the inclusion criteria. The results of the identified studies were extrapolated to 2010 prices and compared within the same disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In spite of the heterogeneity in methodology and results, medication was identified as the most important component of direct costs and work loss as the most important component of indirect costs. All in all, the estimated costs per case of illness and year for asthma sum up to 445 to 2 543 € and for COPD to 1 212 to 3 492 €.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analysed cost-of-illness studies confirm that asthma and COPD are costly but results vary markedly. COPD due to its higher costs per case and its similar prevalence causes higher macroeconomic costs. Our results emphasise the economic relevance of prevention and disease management for these lung diseases.
authors.affiliation: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich School of Management - Institut für Gesundheitsökonomie und -Management im Gesundheitswesen und Münchner Zentrum für Gesundheitswissenschaften, München. f.kirsch@bwl.lmu.de
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Kirsch
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Teuner
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Menn
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Leidl
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D015897:Comorbidity; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics* / Q000453:epidemiology; D019141:Respiratory System Agents / Q000191:economics* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000191:economics* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014478:Unemployment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D019141:Respiratory System Agents