title: Costs of Treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
abstract: The aim of this study was to analyze direct costs of COPD therapy in relation with clinical course and stage of the disease. Sixty patients with moderate to severe COPD were included into the study. The average cost was taken from institutional data file and was also assessed from a social perspective. Results were presented as average costs per patient per year. Forty two percent of patients was classified as GOLD D category, while categories A, B, and C accounted for 8 %, 27 %, and 23 %, respectively. Approximately 65 % of patients had 2-3 degrees of dyspnea according to the Modified Medical Research Council Dyspnea Scale. About 60 % of patients underwent two or three exacerbations per year and those patients had one or two co-morbidities diagnosed. Treatment costs almost doubled with disease progression, mainly due to exacerbations. In patients in Group C and Group D with exacerbations the direct costs were several times higher than in group A or B and the difference increased with progression of the disease. In Groups A and B, the costs of treatment of stable disease or with exacerbation were comparable. We conclude that costs of treatment of COPD patients were highest in advanced disease and were strongly related to COPD exacerbations.
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Medicine Center, 9a Piasta St., 15-044, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Milewska
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Bialystok Medical University, 2d Mickiewicza St., 15-222, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rysiak
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Bialystok Medical University, 2d Mickiewicza St., 15-222, Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Zareba
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Bialystok Medical University, 15a Waszyngtona St., Bialystok, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Holownia
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Medicine Center, 9a Piasta St., 15-044, Bialystok, Poland. robmroz@wp.pl.|Department of Lung Diseases and Tuberculosis, Bialystok Medical University, 14 Zurawia St., 15-540, Bialystok, Poland. robmroz@wp.pl.
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Mroz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005541:Forced Expiratory Volume; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000191:economics* / Q000503:physiopathology
keywords: COPD; Direct costs; Exacerbations; Medical costs; Pharmacoeconomics