Occupational Respiratory Diseases in Italy: Hospitalization Trends and Costs
Author Information
Author(s): Ferrante Pierpaolo
Primary Institution: Department of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, Epidemiology and Hygiene, Italian National Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL)
Hypothesis
This study aims to analyze the hospitalization costs and characteristics of four major occupational respiratory diseases in Italy.
Conclusion
The study found significant reductions in hospitalization burden for malignant mesothelioma and pneumoconiosis, attributed to workplace health regulations.
Supporting Evidence
- Hospitalizations for malignant mesothelioma and pneumoconiosis have significantly decreased over the study period.
- Malignant mesothelioma was found to be the most resource-intensive disease, costing EUR 25 million yearly.
- Occupational exposure accounted for a significant portion of hospitalization costs for the studied diseases.
Takeaway
This study looked at how many people got sick from certain lung diseases at work in Italy and found that fewer people are getting hospitalized now than before.
Methodology
This retrospective, population-based study examined hospitalizations for four occupational respiratory diseases from 2010 to 2021 using data from the Italian Hospital Discharge Registry.
Potential Biases
Potential overestimation of specific disease costs due to multiple diagnoses recorded for each hospitalization.
Limitations
The study relied on ICD-9-CM codes, which do not include specific codes for malignant mesothelioma, potentially leading to overestimation of costs.
Participant Demographics
The overall median age of patients was 72.1 years, with 75.4% being male.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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