In The Netherlands, about 10 percent of the adult population has asthma symptoms, while prevalence among children is almost twice as high. iMTA has studied costs, adherence, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of disease management programs for asthma. iMTA was also the first institute to estimate cost-effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids.
iMTA has performed studies on the current and future cost-of illness of asthma, COPD and allergic rhinitis. In all three diseases, medication is the most important cost driver, followed by hospital admissions in asthma and COPD and by primary care in allergic rhinitis. Between 2007 and 2032, health care expenditures will increase with 73% for allergic rhinitis. They will double for asthma and triple for COPD.
more info →iMTA did the very first cost-effectiveness study of inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) in both adults and children with asthma. In another asthma cost-effectiveness study of Symbicort for the Maintenance And Reliever Treatment (SMART), it was found that SMART instead of ICS plus bronchodilators did not affect health outcomes and did not increase costs; therefore, is likely to be an alternative for guideline-directed treament, from a health and economic perspective. In a cost-effectiveness analysis of influenza vaccination in children with asthma, we concluded that influenza vaccination did not result in a significant reduction of the number, severity, or duration of asthma exacerbations caused by influenza.
more info →iMTA has compared the measurement properties of different health-related quality of life instruments for asthma. iMTA has published frequently about different preference elicitation techniques and their relative merit for assessing health related quality of life.
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