The annual pre-treatment and pre-diagnosed cost of patients newly diagnosed with asthma at Gazi University Faculty of Medicine Department of Pediatric Allergy and Asthma

Although the economic burden of children, supervised with asthma diagnosis, had drew attention of many researchers, pre-diagnosis cost had not been calculated up to now. Our research had been realized via examination of asthma patients of age group 6.5-16, applied to Gazi University Faculty of Medicine Hospital Department of Pediatric Allergy and Asthma. A comparison had been performed with the recent year cost of supervised asthma patients (control group) within our department, by calculating last one year of diagnosis and pre-treatment cost of newly diagnosed asthma patients (phenomenon group). Average age of the patients in the phenomenon group is 10.0 ± 2.43 (median = 9), in the control group is 10.6 ± 2.35 (median = 10). Approximately 2/3 of the patients in phenomenon group, and 1/2 in the control group are male. Annual direct cost per capita hadn't been seen as much different (p=0.853) in phenomenon group (523.9YTL) than in control group (781.0 YTL). Annual indirect cost per capita had been determined as low (p=0.018) in phenomenon group (45.6YTL) than in control group (79.4YTL). Total average annual cost in asthma in phenomenon and control groups are calculated as 569.5 YTL and 860.4 YTL, respectively. Calculated average annual cost of the patients in phenomenon group is significant, although they hadn't treated for asthma, and present no significant difference than the average annual cost of patients in the control group. In our study, the most important reason of the pre-diagnosis and pre-treatment cost in asthma is related with the process leading to diagnosis and/or treatment. Shortening of this process can be achieved via continuous education of doctors on asthma diagnosis and treatment, and informing people on asthma.