Abstract
BackgroundChronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Few studies have focused on the quality of life (QoL) associated medical costs for COPD in China.MethodsA cross-sectional survey of 678 COPD patients was conducted in four major cities (Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu), China, in 2011. Data on socio-demographic information, health conditions and medical costs were collected through a face-to-face interview combined with medical record searching. The EuroQol (EQ-5D) health questionnaire was applied to assess the QoL of COPD patients.ResultsAmong 678 patients with COPD, nearly 40% had difficulties in mobility, usual activities and pain/discomfort, one third had various degrees of anxiety/depression, and one fifth had difficulties in self-care. The COPD patients had a median utility score of 0.768 and a median visual analog scale score of 70. The degree of difficulties in any dimensions significantly increased, and utility and health scores decreased with severity of the disease. Age, gender and disease severity were significantly associated with the quality of life after taking other covariates into consideration. Poorer QoL was a significant indicator of higher direct medical costs for COPD patients.ConclusionImpaired quality of life was significantly linked to increased medical costs for COPD patients and could be an important measure for policy- and decision-making in COPD care.
Highlights
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide
Patient inclusion criteria included that a patient: 1) Met the diagnosis criterion of COPD provided by the Chinese Society of Respiratory Diseases in 2007 [17]; 2) Received the assessment of lung function at least once in the past 12 months; 3) was able to provide informed consent and medical chart; 4) was able to complete the questionnaire interview; and 5) was a local resident who lived in the city for at least 2 years
Impaired quality of life (QoL) for COPD patients COPD is significantly associated with lower QoL, and QoL has been recognized as an important outcome for COPD
Summary
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is ranked the fourth of the 10 leading causes of death, and killed approximately 3 million people (5.8% of all deaths) globally in 2011 [1]. In 2010, the costs of COPD were projected to be approximately US$50 billion, which included $20 billion in indirect costs and $30 billion indirect health care expenditures in the U.S [4]. How to reduce such enormous costs for COPD care is an unmet challenge to all countries
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