Background The burden of severe asthma due to asthma exacerbation is increasing. However, recent studies identifying exacerbation-related disease burden among patients with severe asthma in South Korea are lacking. Objective To evaluate the burden of asthma exacerbations in patients with severe asthma in South Korea. Methods A retrospective cohort study using National Health Insurance data from 2016 to 2019 was conducted. Patients with severe asthma were defined as satisfying the following criteria: (1) having been prescribed ≥1 inhaled corticosteroid-long-acting β-2 agonist and long-acting muscarinic antagonist with a diagnosis of asthma; (2) having experienced ≥4 asthma exacerbation events within 1 year, after meeting the first criterion. Exacerbation was defined as a corticosteroid burst. Healthcare utilisation, direct medical costs and case fatality rates related to asthma exacerbations were identified during the follow-up period. Results Outpatient visits accounted for 81. 26% of all exacerbation events, followed by general ward hospitalisation (14. 55%). The exacerbation-related costs were as follows: outpatient visit, 29. 89; emergency room visit, 95. 02; general ward hospitalisation, 1929. 32; and intensive care unit admission, 7918. 86. The case fatality rates were 2. 65% for patients with asthma, 3. 16% for patients who had exacerbations and 6. 96% for patients who had exacerbations with hospitalisation. Conclusion This study is the first population-based cohort study observing exacerbation-related burdens in patients with severe asthma, using recent data and generating real-world evidence. The results of this study can be used as evidence for further research on the burden of asthma and to inform decision-making in healthcare policy.
Pyun et al. (Thu,) studied this question.
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