title: The cost of treating severe refractory asthma in the UK: an economic analysis from the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry.
abstract: Severe refractory asthma poses a substantial burden in terms of healthcare costs but relatively little is known about the factors which drive these costs. This study uses data from the British Thoracic Society Difficult Asthma Registry (n=596) to estimate direct healthcare treatment costs from an National Health Service perspective and examines factors that explain variations in costs. Annual mean treatment costs among severe refractory asthma patients were £2912 (SD £2212) to £4217 (SD £2449). Significant predictors of costs were FEV1% predicted, location of care, maintenance oral corticosteroid treatment and body mass index. Treating individuals with severe refractory asthma presents a substantial cost to the health service.
authors.affiliation: JE Cairnes School of Business and Economics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infection and Immunity, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Joan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sweeney
authors.affiliation: Centre for Public Health, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Chris C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Patterson
authors.affiliation: Royal Brompton Hospital, London, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Menzies-Gow
authors.affiliation: MAHSC, The University of Manchester & UHSM, Manchester, UK.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Niven
authors.affiliation: Severe and Brittle Asthma Unit, Birmingham Heartlands Hospital, Birmingham, UK.
authors.forename: Adel H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Mansur
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Infirmary, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Bucknall
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, University of Glasgow and Gartnavel General, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Rekha
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Chaudhuri
authors.affiliation: Department of Respiratory Medicine, Division of Immunology, Infection and Inflammation, University of Glasgow and Gartnavel General, Glasgow, UK.
authors.forename: Neil C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Thomson
authors.affiliation: Department of Infection, Inflammation and Immunity, Institute for Lung Health, University of Leicester, Leicester, UK.
authors.forename: Chris E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Brightling
authors.affiliation: JE Cairnes School of Business and Economics, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland.
authors.forename: Ciaran
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: O'Neill
authors.affiliation: Centre for Infection and Immunity, Queen's University of Belfast, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: Liam G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Heaney
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000191:economics / Q000503:physiopathology; D015992:Body Mass Index; D016527:Drug Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume / Q000502:physiology; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000191:economics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017048:Health Care Costs / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006302:Health Services Research / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012042:Registries; D013222:State Medicine / Q000191:economics; D006113:United Kingdom
chemical_list: D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents; D005938:Glucocorticoids
keywords: Asthma; Health Economist