Objective: To estimate the cost of care of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) with stable disease and exacerbations in Mexico.

Methods: A cost of care analysis of COPD patients was performed from an institutional point of view. Only average direct medical costs per patient, adjusted by GOLD classification, were estimated. Resource utilization was obtained from a panel of medical experts belonging to the National Health System in Mexico, using Delphi methodology, where the therapeutic options, recommended doses, as well as the use of hospital resources in the treatment of controlled patients and patients with exacerbations by Gold classification, used in their clinical practice, were validated. Costs were obtained from public health sources. The costing was carried out using the micro-costing technique and a time horizon of 1 year was considered; the results are expressed in USD.

Results: The average cost of diagnosis was $1,255.99 USD. The estimated average cost of patients with COPD in control was $1,500.36, $2,157.59, $3,442.05 and $5,109.57 for Gold 1,2,3 and 4 categories respectively, on the other hand, the average cost of patients with exacerbation for each category was $1,164.42, $3,460.41, $9,199.12 and $23,717.99 respectively. The results show that there is an increase in costs with increasing disease severity category and treatment of exacerbations accounts for most of the economic burden.

Conclusions: The difference in costs between categories was due to the cost of hospitalizations, intensive care, and oxygen use. Timely diagnosis of COPD and medical care to keep patients in control in the first categories of the disease, maintain them stable and prevent exacerbations would represent a reduction in the burden of the disease for the public sector.