RESUMO
INTRODUCTION: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, incurable and potentially mortal. COPD generates a high burden of illness and decreased quality of life in patients. The aim of this study was to determine the direct medical cost of COPD and the primary variables associated. METHODOLOGY: We conducted a multicenter clinical study, based in a retrospective cohort as base of a partial economic evaluation in patients diagnosed with moderate to severe COPD. It was considered an institutional point of view to determine medical costs, with an annual time horizon. For analysis of associations between explanatory and end point variables, a generalized lineal regression model was developed. RESULTS: We analyzed data from 283 patients, Fifty-nine percent were women, the average age was 72 years ± 11, Sixty-five percent of patients had a history of smoking and 57.6 % were exposed to wood smoke. The annual direct medical costs (MXN 2016) was 20,754 and 41,887 for patients with moderate and severe COPD, respectively, this difference is mainly due to the use of oxygen as well as longer hospital stay (12.9 vs. 24.7 days) of patients with severe COPD. CONCLUSIONS: Although the severity level is associated with greater health care costs, the quality of life of the patients should be considered carefully because it is inversely associated with the cost of care for patients with COPD.
