Table 3.
Unadjusted direct mean annual asthma-related mean costs by category of service and severity
| Service a | Total n = 20,410 |
Mild intermittent n = 14,191 | Mild Persistent n = 3680 | Moderate Persistent n = 1408 | Severe persistent n = 1131 | p-value b |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medical services c | ||||||
| ED visits | $6 (39.3) | – | $21 (57) | $26 (78) | $20 (87) | 0.187 |
| Hospitalizations | $105 (946) | – | $239 (1492) | $368 (1838) | $662 (2027) | 0.000 |
| Specialized physician visits | $20 (47) | $15 (35) | $23 (52) | $38 (66) | $58 (91) | 0.000 |
| General physician visits | $37 (61) | $30 (39) | $41 (59) | $54 (77) | $100 (158) | 0.000 |
| Other ambulatory services | $7 (68) | $5 (61) | $9 (85) | $10 (49) | $22 (99) | 0.000 |
| Any medical service d | $178 (958) | $51 (76) | $335 (1489) | $498 (1840) | $865 (2050) | 0.000 |
| Asthma medication prescriptions c | ||||||
| Controller medications | ||||||
| ICS | $20 (124) | $5 (52) | $28 (117) | $84 (269) | $101 (306) | 0.000 |
| ICS + LABA | $24 (211) | $0.7 (19) | $12 (115) | $147 (513) | $208 (606) | 0.000 |
| LABA | $0.5 (16) | $0 (2) | $0.7 (14) | $0.8 (11) | $5 (62) | 0.000 |
| LM | $12 (89) | $0 (0) | $10 (61) | $37 (143) | $137 (296) | 0.000 |
| Rescue Medications | ||||||
| Oral corticosteroids | $14 (74) | $0.3 (7) | $15 (36) | $48 (100) | $138 (249) | 0.000 |
| SABA | $25 (127) | $3 (27) | $38 (114) | $98 (231) | $166 (375) | 0.000 |
| Any medication e | $152 (780) | $16 (108) | $147 (320) | $563 (895) | $1370 (2755) | 0.000 |
| Total mean costs f | $331 (1278) | $67 (134) | $482 (1506) | $1061 (1983) | $2235 (3426) | 0.000 |
a Mean values and their (SD) are reported and were calculated using the total number of subjects in each column as denominator
b Welch analysis of variance-ANOVA test
c One patient may contribute to the costs of different medical services or prescriptions
d, e, f Mean values represent the sum of costs derived from all medical services d, medications e (or both f ) presented during the cost-analysis period and divided by the total number of subjects in each disease category.
ED emergency department; ICS inhaled corticosteroids; ICS+LABA inhaled corticosteroids-long acting B2 agonist combination; LABA long acting B2 agonist; LM leukotriene modifiers; SABA short acting B2 agonist