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Older Adult Diabetics Imposed an Estimated $133.5
Billion Cost in 1990's
Nov. 17, 2004 - Sick days, disability, early
retirement, and premature death of diabetic Americans born between 1931
and 1941 cost the country almost $133.5 billion by the year 2000,
according to a new estimate by researchers with the University of
Michigan (U-M) and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). This
analysis is the first to identify the staggering financial impact of
diabetes on the economy using a single, consistent source of datathe
Health and Retirement Study (HRS), a national longitudinal study funded
by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National
Institutes of Health.
"This study is a stark reminder of the huge
financial burden diabetes places on patients, their families, and
society," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy G. Thompson said.
"Diabetes remains a serious and growing health threat, but there are
simple steps we can all take, such as eating wisely and staying active,
that can reduce the toll that diabetes takes on our lives."
"Understanding the economic impact of diabetes
allows a more complete understanding of the cost-effectiveness of
diabetes treatment programs and may provide a rationale for employers to
begin to address workplace programs to improve health," according to the
study by Sandeep Vijan, M.D., M.S., and colleagues.* The study,
published in the December 2004 issue of Health Services Research, was
funded by the Social Security Administration. Additional support for the
researchers came from the NIA, the VA, and the Alzheimer's Association.
For the study, Vijan and U-M co-authors Rodney A.
Hayward, M.D., and Kenneth M. Langa, M.D., Ph.D., looked at
diabetes-associated mortality, disability, early retirement, and work
absenteeism among a national household sample of older adults
interviewed over an 8-year period as part of the HRS. Since 1992, HRS
has conducted interviews every 2 years with a nationally representative
sample of 22,000 Americans age 50 and older to assess major trends in
health and economic well-being.
Between 1992 and 2000, the average person with
diabetes lost $2,800 in wages due to early retirement, $630 due to sick
days, and $22,100 due to disability. When these results were extended to
all people with diabetes born between 1931 and 19412.3 million
peoplethe total economic losses were $58.6 billion. The study also
found that $60 billion in productivity losses occurred prior to 1992 in
this group, suggesting a total productivity loss due to diabetes of
nearly $120 billion.
Researchers excluded people who were already
disabled at the start of the study due to diabetes. When the cost of the
already disabled was added, the economic toll of the disease mounted to
$133.5 billion over the entire lifetime of this group.
Since the analysis was limited to a narrow age
groupAmericans born between 1931 and 1941the total cost of lost
productivity due to diabetes for all ages is much greater, the
researchers note.
"This study makes excellent use of the longitudinal
design of the HRS, one of the few studies that measures both health and
economic factors in the same study, to demonstrate the huge negative
economic impact that diabetes has on our society beyond the personal
costs of illness and premature death," said Richard M. Suzman, Ph.D.,
NIA Associate Director for the Behavioral and Social Research Program.
Other studies funded by NIA have shown that diabetes multiplies the cost
of treating other diseases, he said.
The researchers note that improving health
behaviors can prevent diabetes, and improving treatment can prevent many
diabetes complications that are responsible for the huge losses in
productivity. NIH and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
for instance, have joined forces on the National Diabetes Education
Program, a federally funded program that includes over 200 partners at
the federal, state, and local levels, working together to reduce the
morbidity and mortality associated with diabetes (http://www.ndep.nih.gov/).
About 18.2 million Americans are estimated to have
diabetes. With the aging of the population and the dramatic increase in
obesity and sedentary lifestyles even among the young, the prevalence of
diabetes is increasing at an epidemic rate. The CDC recently estimated
that if current trends continue, one in three people born today will
develop the disease. People with diabetes tend to be male, African
American or Hispanic, and less educated, according to the new study.
NIA research addresses issues affecting the health
and well-being of older people and their families. More information on
aging and health, including a new AgePage on diabetes can be found on
the NIA's web site
www.nia.nih.gov or by calling
1-800-222-2225. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and
Kidney Disease (NIDDK), also part of the NIH, conducts research on
diabetes and provides information to the public and to patients on the
disease. For more information, please visit the NIDDK website at
www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov.
* Vijan, Hayward, and Langa are with the Veterans
Affairs Center for Practice Management & Outcomes Research, Ann Arbor,
MI, and the Department of Internal Medicine. Vijan and Hayward are also
with the Michigan Diabetes Research and Training Center, and Langa,
funded by the NIA, is with the Institute for Social Research, University
of Michigan.
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