The burden of COPD in Italy: results from the confronting COPD survey

Abstract

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a disease state characterized by airflow limitation that is not fully reversible, and progressive lung function decline. In Italy, an estimated 2.6 million men and women have COPD, and the disease causes around 18 000 deaths each year. In addition to mortality, morbidity from COPD results in substantial use of secondary healthcare resources. The burden of COPD in Italy may be due to the underdiagnosis of the disease by healthcare professionals, particularly in the early stages of the disease, and a lack of awareness among physicians of recommended treatment practices. In an attempt to address the need for information on the burden of COPD, a large-scale international survey, Confronting COPD in North America and Europe, assessed clinical outcomes, use of healthcare resources and loss of productivity in the workplace, and the economic cost of this disease in Italy and six other countries. In Italy, the economic analysis of the survey data showed that the mean annual cost of COPD to the healthcare system was Euro 1261.25 per patient Indirect costs were estimated at Euro 47.29 per patient, bringing the societal cost of the disease to Euro 1308.54 per patient. Three-quarters of the direct per patient cost of COPD in Italy were accounted for by inpatient hospitalizations (Euro 963.10), suggesting that interventions aimed at preventing exacerbations could alleviate the burden of COPD in Italy. The high impact of COPD on the Italian healthcare system is also likely to be a consequence of the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of the disease, suggesting that costs may be reduced by increasing the utilization of spirometry as a diagnostic tool, and improving physician adherence to treatment guidelines. Patients with severe COPD and other comorbidities showed higher costs (Euro 6366 and Euro 1861, respectively) than patients with mild disease (Euro 441) or no comorbidities (Euro 1021), underlying the importance of smoking cessation interventions to prevent disease progression.

Definition, epidemiology and natural history of COPD

“…For example, in Italy, DAL NEGRO et al [82] estimated the mean social cost per patient as J6,365 for severe condition (Medical Research Council dyspnoea scale). According to MASA et al [83], in Spain the cost per person of severe COPD was more than three and more than seven times that of moderate and mild COPD, respectively.…”

Pharmacoeconomic evaluation of tiotropium bromide in the long-term treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Italy

“…The disease imposes a substantial economic burden to the health-care service and exacerbations contribute to 35-45% of the total costs for the disease treatment [4][5][6], resulting particularly expensive when associated with hospitalizations [4,5]. In Italy, annual per COPD patient direct costs have been estimated between €1,300 and €4,500, with hospitalizations contributing for 40-75% and drugs accounting for about 20% of the total [7][8][9]. These figures suggest that interventions aimed at preventing exacerbations could alleviate the burden of COPD in Italy [7,8].…”

“…In Italy, annual per COPD patient direct costs have been estimated between €1,300 and €4,500, with hospitalizations contributing for 40-75% and drugs accounting for about 20% of the total [7][8][9]. These figures suggest that interventions aimed at preventing exacerbations could alleviate the burden of COPD in Italy [7,8].…”

Tobramycin Nebulizer Solution in severe COPD patients colonized with Pseudomonas aeruginosa: effects on bronchial Inflammation

“…3,4 Acute exacerbations (AEs) have major effects on health status; they are associated with considerable morbidity and mortality, 5 and often lead to hospital admissions, which represent a major component of the socioeconomic burden of COPD. [6][7][8] AEs are costly events, and the therapeutic failures that lead to hospital admissions contribute substantially to the total burden of COPD. 9,10 The etiology of AEs in COPD is complex; bacteria play a crucial role, [11][12][13][14][15] and a variable, but not negligible, proportion of patients have their lower airways colonized by different bacterial pathogens.…”