25. November 2008 22:41
People diagnosed with diabetes 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.
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.
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