Cost-effectiveness Analysis Of Combination Therapy With Chiropractic And Western Pharmaceutical On Chronic Persistant Asthma Children

ObjectiveTo compare the average number of symptom-free days and daytime/nocturnal symptom scores in the previous and the last two weeks and medical cost of combination therapy with chiropractic and western pharmaceuticals and western pharmaceuticals alone in the course of treatment.To evaluate the cost-effectiveness analysis of combination therapy and western pharmaceuticals alone in asthma treatment.Methods155mild-to-moderate persistant asthma outpatients, aged1to7, in accordance with inclusive criteria, were included in the study in4hospitals from September,2012to March,2014. It was a randomized, open-minded, parallel-group study carried12weeks. The patients were randomized into2groups:81cases of the test group accepted combination therapy with chiropractic and western pharmaceuticals and the74cases included in control group accepted conventional western pharmaceutical alone. The efficacy endpoint was the average number of symptom-free days and daytime/nocturnal symptom scores in the last two weeks. And each individual medical costs were also recorded including registration fee, consultation fee and prescription charge every four weeks. In the end the cost-effectiveness was analyzed in statistics.ResultsThere were81cases in test group with6drops and1exclusion and74cases in control group with3drops and1exclusion. Comparing with two groups in sex, age, average number of symptom-free days and daytime/nocturnal symptom scores in the previous two weeks and the differences are no signature in statistics (P>0.05). The average number of symptom-free days and daytime symptom scores in the last two weeks had no significant difference between test group and control group (P>0.05).But nocturnal symptom scores in the last two weeks were different significantly between two groups. Besides, test group increased symptom-free days significantly compared to control group during the treatment(P<0.05). The total course of treatment was divided into three stages. Each stage of a process included four weeks. The medical cost of the1st stage showed no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05). But in the2nd and3rd stage the medical cost has significant difference in statistics(P<0.05). The medical cost in the first8weeks showed no significant difference and the total medical cost of two groups was different (P<0.05). The test group was better than the control group based on the cost-effectiveness analysis.No adverse reaction occurred in2groups.ConelusionDuring the12weeks treatment, the increased average number of symptom-free days in test group were higher than that of control group significantly. Nocturnal symptom scores in test group were lower than that in control group in the last two weeks. The result suggested that chiropractic could improve asthma symptom effectively especially in improving nocturnal symptom. Test group was more cost-effective than that of control group. Combination therapy with chiropractic and western pharmaceutical could reduce the economic burden of asthma children’s families.