[Cost analysis in patients admitted with COPD in 2002]

The aim of the study was to assess the costs of hospital admission for COPD patients in a high level unit ("Marius Nasta" Institute of Pulmonology) in order to appreciate the financial burden of the disease. We analyzed retrospectively the medical charts of patients admitted between January and September 2002. 181 charts were included. We extracted data regarding the patient (age, sex, smoking habits, income), disease (duration, severity) and hospital admittance (number of days, tests performed, medication received). Data were processed in EpiInfo 6.

mean duration of admittance was 17, 18 days. Mean cost of admittance was 25,448,348 lei (727 Euro), divided in: mean costs of the lab tests - 5,936,812 lei (170 Euro), mean cost of medication--4,428,000 lei (126 Euro), with obvious dominance of COPD medication: 4,310,022 lei; mean cost of hospital stay (including hotel, food and personnel expenses) was 15,120,094 lei (432 Euro). COPD severity was judged on the spirometry at discharge. Mean FEV1 was 45.66% of predicted value. According to GOLD, 10 pts (5.52%) were in stage I, 44 pts (24.3%) in stage II, 69 (38.12%) in stage III and 58 pts (32.03%) in stage IV. Costs per patient were similar for stages I, II and III and significantly higher for stage IV CONCLUSIONS: admitted COPD patients are in severe stages, with a long duration of admittance. Overall costs are much smaller than in Europe, more than half of these costs are due to hospital stay.