Costs of medical care attributable to tobacco consumption at the Mexican Institute of Social Security (IMSS), Morelos

Objective. To estimate the cost of medical care for the major diseases attributable to tobacco consumption at the IMSS, Morelos. Material and Methods. A cost of illness (COI) analysis was carried out from the perspective of the health provider An expert panel characterized medical care in primary and secondary care levels according to severity of disease. The smoking attributable fraction (SAF) by disease was used to derive costs attributable to tobacco consumption. The unitary cost was valuated in 2001 Mexican pesos (MP). Results. The estimated annual average cost of medical care (diagnosis and first year of treatment) was 79 530 MP for acute myocardial infarction (AMI); 73 303 MP for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); and 102 215 MP for lung cancer (LC). The annual total cost of medical care for IMSS was 147 390 688 MP. The total annual cost of medical care attributable to tobacco consumption corresponds to $124 million MP, which is equivalent to 7.3% of the annual budget of the Morelos Delegation. Conclusions. These results confirm the high medical costs associated with smoking. A repetition of this study at the national level is recommended in order to support decision-makers in strengthening public policies to control tobacco use in Mexico.