Direct Health Care Costs of Occupational Asthma in Spain: An Estimation From 2008

Abstract

BackgroundOccupational asthma (OA) is the most common work-related disease in industrialised countries. In 2008, only 556 cases of OA had been diagnosed in Spain, which is quite far from even the most conservative estimates. In this context, the aim of this paper is to estimate the number of asthma cases attributable to the work setting in Spain in 2008 as well as the related health care costs for the same year. MethodsThe number of cases of OA was calculated from estimates of attributable risk given by previous studies. The cost estimation focused on direct health-care costs and it was based both on data from the National Health System's (NHS) analytical accounting and from secondary sources. ResultsThe number of prevalent cases of work-related asthma in Spain during 2008 ranges between 168713 and 204705 cases based on symptomatic diagnosis, entailing an associated cost from 318.1 to 355.8 million Euros. These figures fall to a range between 82635 and 100264 cases when bronchial hyperreactivity is included as a diagnostic criterion, at a cost of 155.8–174.3 million Euros. Slightly more than 18 million Euros represent the health-care costs of those cases requiring specialised care. ConclusionsEstimations of OA are very relevant to adequately prevent this disease. The treatment of OA, which involves a significant cost, is being financed by the NHS, although it should be covered by Social Security.