TITLE: Social burden and medical cost of COPD in Korea

OBJECTIVES: to estimate the burden of disease due to Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Korea.

METHODS: We investigated the prevalence of COPD in Korea using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES 2016). Using the bronchodilator responsiveness in population-based samples, we corrected the pre-bronchodilator testing results that can overestimate prevalence. We used national statistics and Korean-specific disability weights. Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) was calculated using methodology employed in the GBD 2010. Medical cost and healthcare use were investigated using national patient sample data of Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA-NPS 2016). Patients were identified by ICD-10 codes and COPD-related medications.

RESULTS: 24,174 DALYs (per 100,000 population over age 40) were lost due to COPD. Of those, 60.8% came from male over 60s, and 20% from the female. 8% was due to premature death and 92% was computed from years lived with disability (YLDs) due to illness. The prevalence of COPD was 9.6%, which was 31.5% lower than that of the pre-bronchodilator test. Only 9.9% of estimated patients had been diagnosed or treated. The annual medical expenditure per person was 1,187 (SD: 3,568) USD. The cost per event was 961 (SD: 2,382) USD when acute exacerbation occurred. The most commonly prescribed drug was methylxanthines and the largest portion of the costs was LAMA and ICS / LABA.

CONCLUSIONS: The burden of disease was estimated not only by the population using the health care service but also by the general population, and the economic burden was also investigated.

Key Terms: burden, medical cost, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Authors: Eunmi Bae (Korea University. College of Pharmacy), and Sang-Eun Choi (Korea University. College of Pharmacy)