Effectiveness of Speleotherapy in Selected Respiratory Diseases of Children Evaluated by Analysisof Expenditure of the National Insurance Company

Overview

The authors submit the results of economic analysis of costs of drugs and hospitalization of 65 children withdiagnoses of asthma bronchiale (J45) - 36 children, obstructive bronchitis (J41) - 14 children and other diseases ofthe respiratory pathways (J31) - 15 children who participated in 1998 in a course of speleotherapy (ST) in theBystrianska cave. The health insurance company assessed the total costs of drugs and hospitalization of thementioned children during the year before ST (1997) and year after ST (1999). The results proved a significantdrop of expenditure on drugs in patients with diagnoses J41 and J31. In 36 children with the diagnosis of asthmabronchiale the expenditure on drugs increased. This increase occurred in 12 patients while in 24 there wasa significant drop. Analysis of costs in 12 patients with increased costs revealed that the rise was not due todeterioration of the clinical condition (none of them were admitted to hospital) but a change of therapy accordingto contemporary standards of asthma therapy. When calculating the overall costs 1 169.50 Slovak crowns per childwere saved. Speleotherapy of allergic and other respiratory diseases in children has not only a medical but alsoeconomic effect.

Key words:
speleotherapy, respiratory diseases of children, analysis of expenditure on drugs