Diabetes Costs Spike in
United States, Study Shows

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The costs of diabetes have spiked sharply in the United States over the past five years, with the country spending $13,243 on each diabetic, according to a study published Thursday.

The annual cost of the condition, which affects an estimated 17 million Americans, climbed from $98 billion in 1997 to $132 billion in 2002, the study by the American Diabetes Association found.

The study, published in the journal Diabetes Care, found that direct medical costs of diabetes more than doubled, from $44 billion in 1997 to $91.8 billion in 2002.

Indirect costs included lost work days, restricted activity days, death and permanent disabilities, and they totaled $39.8 billion.

Diabetes can lead to heart disease, blindness, nerve damage and death. Type 2, or adult-onset diabetes, which is also now being seen in children, can be prevented with a healthy diet and exercise to maintain a normal body weight.

The US spends $13,243 on each diabetes patient, compared with $2,560 per person for people who do not have diabetes.

"Diabetes continues to be a huge financial burden on patients, their families and society, a burden that continues to grow in parallel with the obesity and diabetes epidemics in this country," said Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson.

"We must all work to fight this disease that touches so many of our daily lives," Thompson said in a statement.

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