Extra Medical Cost for People with Diabetes Hits
$4,100 a Year, Reports New Study
Most of the increase attributed to the cost of
diabetes-related complications, such as heart and kidney disease
Nov.
25, 2008 - People diagnosed with diabetes – a group dominated by senior
citizens - spend over $4,100 more each year on medical costs than people
who don't have diabetes, a gap that increases substantially each year
following the initial diagnosis, according to a study published online
today in the journal Diabetes Care.
Annual economic burden of diabetes is estimated at
$132 billion and increasing
Oct. 27, 2008 - A progressively more complex and
expensive array of treatments for type 2 diabetes is being prescribed to
an increasing number of older adults, according to a report in the
October 27 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives
journals. Read
more...
In the first study to examine medical cost
increases for individuals living with diabetes on a year-by-year basis,
researchers at RTI International, an independent, nonprofit research
institute based in North Carolina, calculated that a 50-year-old newly
diagnosed with diabetes spends $4,174 more on medical care per year than
a person the same age who doesn't have diabetes.
For the person with diabetes, medical costs go up
an additional $158 per year every year thereafter, over and above the
amount they would increase due to aging-related increases in medical
expenses.
Most of the increase can be attributed to the cost
of diabetes-related complications, such as heart and kidney disease, the
researchers found.
Once they controlled for complications, the
remaining annual increase in medical costs was $75 per year - the bulk
of which could be attributed to the increasing need for diabetes
medications the longer a person lives with the disease.
"The good news is that many of these costs could be
contained through proper diabetes management and lifestyle changes,"
said lead researcher Justin Trogdon, Research Economist.
"Numerous studies show that losing weight and
increasing physical activity, along with maintaining proper blood
glucose levels, can substantially delay or reduce the risk for
diabetes-related complications. What our study does is to point out that
there is also a cumulative, financial impact to the progression of this
disease."
Preventing the onset of diabetes would also help to
reduce cumulative costs, since medical expenditures grow along with the
duration of the disease, the researchers concluded. "Delaying the
development of diabetes will delay the steady rise in medical
expenditures that accompanies it," they wrote.
The American Diabetes Association publishes a
comprehensive report on the total economic impact of diabetes in the
United States. To obtain a copy of the ADA's most recent cost of
diabetes study, published January 2008,
click here.
Diabetes
Care, published by the American Diabetes Association, is the leading
peer-reviewed journal of clinical research into one of the nation's
leading causes of death by disease. Diabetes also is a leading cause of
heart disease and stroke, as well as the leading cause of adult
blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic amputations.
The American Diabetes Association is leading the
fight against the deadly consequences of diabetes and fighting for those
affected by diabetes. The Association funds research to prevent, cure
and manage diabetes; delivers services to hundreds of communities;
provides objective and credible information; and gives voice to those
denied their rights because of diabetes. Founded in 1940, our mission is
to prevent and cure diabetes and to improve the lives of all people
affected by diabetes. For more information please call the American
Diabetes Association at 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383) or visit
www.diabetes.org. Information from both these sources is available in
English and
Spanish.
Keep up with the latest news for senior citizens, baby
boomers
Nov.
25, 2008 - People diagnosed with diabetes – a group dominated by senior
citizens - spend over $4,100 more each year on medical costs than people
who don't have diabetes, a gap that increases substantially each year
following the initial diagnosis, according to a study published online
today in the journal Diabetes Care.
Diabetes
Care, published by the American Diabetes Association, is the leading
peer-reviewed journal of clinical research into one of the nation's
leading causes of death by disease. Diabetes also is a leading cause of
heart disease and stroke, as well as the leading cause of adult
blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic amputations.