Cost of COPD
Cost of COPD in the United States
In 1993, the total economic costs of COPD morbidity and mortality in the US alone were estimated to be $23.9 billion. Of that total figure, direct treatments for COPD-related illness costs accounted for $14.7 billion and indirect morbidity and premature mortality accounted for $9.2 million in lost future earnings. By 2000, total expenditures reached $31.9 billion, including $20.7 billion in direct healthcare expenses and $11.2 billion in indirect expenses. Hospital stays are the greatest factor in the direct treatment costs.
According to one US study, 10% of people with COPD are responsible for >70% of all COPD-related medical care costs. Of these expenditures, inpatient hospitalization and emergency department care costs accounted for nearly 73% of the expenditures. In the US, it is estimated that COPD costs an average of $1,522 per person per year—a figure that is 3 times higher than the costs associated with asthma.
Cost of COPD in Europe
In the UK, in 1996, the medical cost of COPD was approximately £846 million (US$ 1.2 billion), or £1,154 (approximately US$ 2,300) per person per year. Of that total, £402 million (47.5%) was for pharmaceutical products, £207 million (24.5%) was for ambulatory oxygen therapy, £151 million (17.8%) was for hospital-based care, and £86 million (10.2%) was for primary care and community-based services.
In Sweden, COPD-related medical care cost £151 million. The indirect costs exceeded the direct costs of medical care in this country
Loss of Work/Activity Days
United States: In the US, COPD is second only to back pain as the leading cause of work disability.
Europe: In the UK, bronchitis is associated with 28 million lost working days per year.
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