The economic burden of COPD

COPD is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide and imparts a substantial economic burden on individuals and society. Despite t he intense interest in COPD among clinicians and researchers, there is a pa ucity of data on health-care utilization, costs, and social burden in this population. The total economic costs of COPD morbidity and mortality in the United States were estimated at $23.9 billion in 1993. Direct treatments f or COPD-related illness accounted for $14.7 billion, and the remaining $9.2 billion were indirect morbidity and premature mortality estimated as lost future earnings. Similar data from another US study suggest that 10% of per sons with COPD account for > 70% of all medical care costs. International s tudies of trends in COPD-related hospitalization indicate that although the average length of stay has decreased since 1972, admissions per 1,000 pers ons per year for COPD have increased in all age groups > 45 years of age. T hese trends reflect population aging, smoking patterns, institutional facto rs, and treatment practices.