{
  "abstract": "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.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Regulatory Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)",
        "Institute of Regulatory Innovation through Science (IRIS), Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Donghyun Pyun"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sanofi-Aventis Korea Co Ltd, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Eun Jin Bae"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Sanofi-Aventis Korea Co Ltd, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Yeon-Woo Lee"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Regulatory Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)",
        "Institute of Regulatory Innovation through Science (IRIS), Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Junhyuck Choi"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Department of Regulatory Science, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)",
        "Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Korea (the Republic of)"
      ],
      "name": "Hae Sun Suh"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Exacerbation-related burden in patients with severe asthma in South Korea: a population-based cohort study",
  "uid": "6c82549b-abb9-5265-a804-7fe57df7268e"
}