[Management and costs of chronic pulmonary obstructive disease in France in 2011]

To estimate the prevalence of treated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and its associated costs by stage of severity.The study was conducted on the 2011 data of the french general beneficiary sample database (EGB). EGB is a 1/97th sample of the whole population of the beneficiaries of the main compulsory national health insurances. COPD cases and the level of severity of the disease have been identified using new algorithms established from the available parameters in EGB. Costs were estimated using a collective perspective.The minimal prevalence of treated COPD was estimated at 3.8% in patients of 40 years and older and 1.9% regardless of the age of individuals. This population was predominantly male (58.2%) with a mean age of 68.8 years (±12.7). A total of 6.2% of patients had a health-care utilization suggestive of a very severe stage of COPD and 8.1%, 13.8% and 71.9% suggestive of severe, moderate and mild stages respectively. Over one year, 28.8% of patients visited a specialist respiratory physician, 5.0% were hospitalized (≥24h) for COPD and 6.7% died. Patients experienced an average of 1.7 (±1.5) exacerbations per year and only 61.4% received specific pharmacological treatment for COPD during the year. The average yearly health-care cost of a patient with COPD was estimated at €9382, with €5342 directly related to COPD.This study based on medico-administrative databases confirms the high epidemiological and economic burden of COPD in France.