Effects of spa therapy on reduction of the costs of the drugs used for the treatment of asthma in the elderly in relation to disease severity

Costs of drugs used for the treatment for 1 year were compared before and after spa therapy in 16 patients with asthma in relation to disease severity. Asthma severity was classified as : stage 1 (intermittent), 2 (mild persistent), 3(moderate persistent), and 4(severe persistent). 1. The total cost of drugs used for each pa-tient for 1 year clearty decreased in all groups. The % decrease of the costs of drugs in each group was 27.2% in patients with stage 1, 43.5% in those with stage 2 and 34.1% in those with stage 3-4 (mean 34.5% ). The reduction of the cost of bronchodilators was predominant in patients with stage 3-4, and the decrease in the cost of corticosteroids predominant in those with stage 2. The reduction of costs of antiallertgics, mucolytics, and antibiotics was predominant in patients with stage 2 and stage 3-4. The % reduction in the cost of corticostroids was remarkable in patients with stage 2. The % decrease in the costs of mucolytics and antibiotics was predomi-nant in patients with stage 2 and stage 3-4. The results obtained here suggest that the costs of drugs used for asthmatics could be reduced by long-term spa therapy, and the reduction of the costs was larger as asthma stage became more severe.

気管支喘息16例を対象に,治療のために要した年間薬剤費が温泉療法により削減可能であるのかどうかについて,国際ガイドラインの重症度分類(stageト4)別に若干の検討を加えた｡1.年間の総薬剤費は重症度別の全てのグループにおいて明らかに減少した.2.その削減率は,ステージ1で27.2%,ステージ2で43.5%,ステージ3-4で34.1%であり,その平均は34.5%であった｡3.気管支拡張剤の薬剤費の減少はステージ3-4で高度であり,副腎皮質ホルモンの薬剤費の減少はステージ2で著明であった｡また,抗アレルギー薬,去痩薬,抗生物質などの薬剤費の削減は,ステージ2および3-4で高度であった｡4.削減率では,去壊薬,抗生物質の削減率が,2および3-4で著明であった｡ 以上の結果より,温泉療法により,気管支喘息の治療に必要な薬剤費は削減可能であること,そして,温泉療法による薬剤費の削減は職息の重症度が高い症例でより高度であることが示唆された｡