Asthma care imposes economic burden on affected patients. Patient costs for asthma care have not been documented in Africa.
We aimed to determine the out-of-pocket cost of asthma follow-up care incurred by patients in Nigeria. We conducted a crosssectional
study in three tertiary hospitals in southeastern and northwestern Nigeria. Poorly controlled asthma patients attending
a follow-up visit in the respiratory clinic of the hospitals were surveyed. Sociodemographic, health-seeking behavior, and cost
data were collected using a structured questionnaire. Of the 110 patients who completed the study, 56 (51%) were females. Also,
72 (65%) of the patients had known about their asthma illness for more than four years. Mean annual direct cost of asthma care
was US$368.4 (±228) per patient. Medication cost accounted for the majority (87%) of this cost. Patient costs of care incurred
did not differ significantly across age (P = 0.15), education (P = 0.23), marital status (0.49), residence (P = 0.47), or gender (P =
0.65) categories. We conclude that direct cost of care was found to be substantial among poorly controlled asthma patients. Further
studies to estimate the costs incurred by patients with exacerbation and differing severity of the disease should be conducted.