OBJECTIVES: To associate the mean cost per hospitalization for COPD with demographic, social, income and health indicators of each Brazilian state from 2000 to 2014.

METHODS: The mean cost per hospitalization due to COPD was obtained from National Health System Data (DATASUS) and were reported in Brazilian Reals (1.00BRL≈0.31USD, Average 2017). Potential explanatory variables included: demographic (percentage of individuals with aged ≥ 60 years); social (Gini index, and illiteracy rate, defined as the percentage of the population aged 15 years or older illiterate); income (Gross Domestic Product - GDP per capita, and unemployment rate, defined by the percentage of economically active people who were unemployed); and health supply (number of hospital beds and rate of medical consultations per 100,000 inhabitants in Brazilian Public Health System). The mean cost per hospitalization and GDP per capita were monetarily corrected by the Extended National Consumer Price Index, with the last year as reference period.

RESULTS: The cost per hospitalization increased 94% during the studied period (426,49BRL to 827,60BRL). Based on multiple linear regression, the study demonstrated a significant positive correlation between mean hospital cost for COPD and GDP per capita. We have identified that the variation that the variation in 1% of GDP per capita increases the average COPD cost by 0.23%.

CONCLUSIONS: This result reflects a possible trend that states with better socioeconomic indicators, with a better quality of life, therefore, are those who are spending more with hospitalizations related to COPD. We cannot rule out the hypothesis that states with worse GDP per capita are providing worse health care conditions for COPD patients. This highlights the importance of initiatives to reduce inequalities in COPD Management in Brazil.