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Chronic Comorbidities Contribute to the Burden and Costs of Persistent Asthma
Paula Kauppi1, Miika Linna2, Juha Jantunen3
1University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Respiratory Diseases and Allergology, Inflammation Center, Skin and Allergy Hospital, P.O. Box 160, 00029 Helsinki, Finland.
Insights
Asthma prevalence rises with age. Chronic conditions like diabetes significantly increase hospitalization costs for asthma patients, nearly doubling expenses compared to those with asthma alone.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Investigated the prevalence of chronic comorbidities in asthma patients.
- Examined the associated healthcare costs for asthma patients with comorbidities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of common chronic diseases in asthma patients in Finland.
- To analyze the healthcare utilization costs in asthma patients with comorbidities.
Main Methods:
- Utilized Finnish registry data from 2008-2014.
- Analyzed prevalence of coronary artery disease, diabetes, hypertension, and severe psychiatric disorders.
- Collected healthcare service costs from national registries.
Main Results:
- Asthma prevalence was 4.6% in 2014.
- Diabetes was a common comorbidity across all age groups.
- Hospitalization costs were approximately 169% higher for asthma patients with diabetes compared to those with asthma alone.
Conclusions:
- Asthma prevalence increases with age, with comorbidity rates being age-dependent.
- The prevalence of diabetes as a comorbidity in asthma patients has risen.
- Chronic comorbidities approximately double hospitalization costs in asthma patients.
Background:
We aimed to study the prevalence of chronic comorbidities in asthma patients and the costs of health care use associated with asthma with comorbidities.
Material And Methods:
We analysed the prevalence of the four most common chronic diseases in asthma patients in 2008-2014 in Finland. Prevalence of coronary artery disease, diabetes and dyslipidaemia, hypertension, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatic diseases, and severe psychiatric disease was studied by register of the Social Insurance Institution of Finland. The costs of health care services were collected from the registries maintained by the National Institute for Health and Welfare (THL).
Results:
Prevalence of asthma was 4.6% in 2014. Diabetes was among the four most common comorbidities in all the age groups. The other common comorbidities were hypertension (≥46 years; 12.9-37.6%), severe psychiatric disorders (age groups of 16-59 years; 1.4-3.5%), and ischaemic heart disease (≥60 years; 10-25%). In patients with both asthma and diabetes, the costs of hospitalization were approximately 169% compared with patients with asthma alone.
Conclusions:
Prevalence of asthma increases by tenfold when aging. The comorbidity diversity and rate are age-dependent. Prevalence of diabetes as comorbidity in asthma has increased. Costs of hospitalizations in asthma approximately double with chronic comorbidities.
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