Effect of Chronic Ischemic Heart Disease on costs of care in individuals with COPD – a claims-data based analysis

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Ischemic Heart Disease (IHD) are cost-intense and highly prevalent diseases in Germany. Owing to shared risk factors, the co-occurrence of both diseases is very likely, with consequences on morbidity, mortality, and costs of care. Our claims data-based study aimed at quantifying IHD-associated excess costs in individuals with COPD from the perspective of the German Statutory Health Insurance (SHI). Methods: Based on claims data from the research database of Arvato Health Analytics GmbH which contains anonymized data of 7 million Germans insured at vari…