Burden of asthma by treatment step in the French CONSTANCES general population cohort

Abstract

Introduction: Data on health care consumption and costs of asthma in the French population are scarce. CONSTANCES is a prospective general population cohort involving more than 200,000 volunteers.

Objective: To describe the burden of asthma in France according to GINA treatment steps.

Methods: Data (medical assessment & self-questionnaires) from participants included between 2012 and 2017 were extracted and linked to the French claim and hospitalization database (SNDS). Participants were considered as current asthmatics if asthma was reported at inclusion and asthma symptoms and/or treatments were present in 2017.

Results: Among 120,000 participants, 5,296 asthmatics were identified and matched with 5,296 controls. Treatment step could not be categorized for 1,556 asthmatics due to lack of any treatment dispensation. Average annual cost of outpatient care was €1,960 versus €1,362 for participants without asthma. The frequency of asthmatics with symptoms, airflow limitation, cardiovascular risk factors and co-morbidities, outpatient visits and hospitalisations increased with GINA treatment steps, as well as inpatient and outpatient costs.

Conclusion: The burden of asthma can be estimated at €600 per year and per patient on average in the population and increases with GINA treatment step, as well as the burden of symptoms and comorbidities.