OBJECTIVES : The incidence and prevalence of asthma has shown a continuous increase in several countries. Hungarian data are less favourable compared to European Union average. The aim of our study was to determine the epidemiological disease burden of asthma.

METHODS : Data were derived from the financial database of the Hungarian National Health Insurance Fund Administration (NHIFA), for the year 2018. Data analysed included annual patient numbers, case numbers and prevalence of care utilisation per 100,000 population according to age groups and sex. The following health insurance treatment categories were included into our study: general practice care, home care, in- and outpatient care, medical imaging, laboratory diagnostics, drugs and medical aids. Patients with asthma were identified with the following code of the International Classification of Diseases 10^th revision: J4590.

RESULTS : The highest national patient numbers were in general practice care: 140,737 men and 188,275 women in total 329,012 patients, followed by drugs (132,783 men and 176,041 women, in total 308,824), and outpatient care (83,236 men, 124,848 women, in total 208,084). Based on patient numbers in general practice care, prevalence in 100,000 among men was 3,012.61 patients, among women 3,686.77 patients, in total 3,364.69 patients. As regards sex distribution in general practice care 42.78% of patients were men and 57.22% were women, while in the case of drugs 43.00% were men and 57.00% were women, in outpatient care 40.00% were men and 60.00% were women.

CONCLUSIONS : Asthma was found to be 1.22 more prevalent in women. The reason for high patient numbers in general practice care and drugs is, that progression of the disease and relief of symptoms are primarily achieved with pharmacotherapy.