Health Economics of Type 2 Diabetes

~ Cost of Medical Care and Quality of Life

Abstract

The direct annual costs in medical care of type 2 diabetes mellitus outpatients were analyzed. The total annual medical cost and the cost per visit of patients with type 2 diabetes were as follows: without complications, \130,473 ± 104,147 (Mean ± SD) and \13,046 ± 7,568; with one complication, \151,431 ± 130,529 and \16,206 ± 10,777; with two complications, \240,088 ± 148,022 and \18,357 ± 10,409; with three complications, \263,150 ± 141,754 and \23,739 ± 11,068; with four complications, \355,343 ± 177,080 and \30,822 ± 16,148. We also analyzed the costs of artificial dialysis, the quality of life (QOL) in patients. The direct cost per month in medical care of outpatients with dialysis and diabetes were \428,609 ± 40,876. The samples of patients were given questionnaires to assess QOL, and the score of KDQOL-SF (the Kidney Disease Quality of Life instrument-Short Form) in patients with dialysis were as follows: without diabetes, 63.94 ± 15.96, and with diabetes, 47.32 ± 17.39. The QOL scores of SF-36 in patients with diabetes became lower as the number of complications increased as follows: without complications, 73.09 ± 9.57; with one complication, 67.71 ± 8.33; with two complications, 60.17 ± 8.61; with three complications, 37.94 ± 9.24; with four complications, 36.42 ± 14.52. Because all QOL scores by KDQOL-SF were lower and medical costs per month are much more expensive in patients with dialysis and diabetes than patients with only dialysis, reducing QOL scores and medical costs are important and hence there should be provisions for secondary and tertiary prevention of complications along with the primary prevention of disease.