MHA Press Room

CDC: Diabetes diagnoses up 90% over 10 years

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Oct. 30 reported a 90% increase in the rate of new diabetes cases among U.S. adults in the past 10 years. Based on data from CDC’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, the rate increased from 4.8 cases per 1,000 people during 1995-1997 to 9.1 cases per 1,000 in 2005-2007.

State-specific estimates ranged from 5 per 1,000 in Minnesota to 12.7 per 1,000 in West Virginia. States with the highest incidence were predominantly in the South. “We must step up efforts to prevent and control diabetes, particularly in the Southern U.S. region where we see higher rates of diabetes, obesity and physical inactivity,” said lead author Karen Kirtland, a data analyst in CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation.

Study: New treatments drive up spending on diabetes drugs

Annual U.S. spending on prescription drugs to treat diabetes rose 87% between 2001 and 2007 due to increased use of more costly newer drugs, according to a study in the Oct. 27 Archives of Internal Medicine. Total annual expenditures for diabetes medications rose from $6.7 billion in 2001 to $12.5 billion in 2007, while the average drug price per prescription rose from $56 to $76.

“Whether increased treatment costs are balanced by improved outcomes associated with these changes cannot be evaluated in the absence of data comparing effectiveness and cost-effectiveness across treatment classes,” the authors conclude. “Our findings suggest the importance of generating new comparative data and coupling this information with clinical and formulary guidelines that contribute to constraining costs, maximizing glycemic control and minimizing diabetes-related morbidity and mortality.”

Estimated patient visits to office-based physicians for type 2 diabetes grew from 37 million in 2000 to 45 million in 2007.

Hispanics more likely to be hospitalized for diabetes

Hispanic adults are much more likely than whites to be hospitalized for diabetes and other health problems that might be prevented or controlled with good outpatient care, according to a new report from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. In 2006, Hispanic adults were more than twice as likely as whites to be hospitalized for uncontrolled diabetes and its complications, and nearly 1.5 times as likely to be hospitalized for circulatory conditions such as congestive heart failure and high blood pressure. The findings are based on data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project’s 2006 State Inpatient Databases.

CDC reports rise in Americans with diabetes

An estimated 24 million Americans had diabetes in 2007, an increase of more than 3 million in about two years, according to data released June 24 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Another 57 million people are estimated to have pre-diabetes, a condition that puts people at increased risk for diabetes.

Among adults, diabetes increased in both men and women and in all age groups, but still affects the elderly most. Almost one-quarter of Americans 60 and older had diabetes in 2007. The rate of diagnosed diabetes was highest among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, followed by African Americans and Hispanics.

CDC also released estimates of diagnosed diabetes by county, which states can use to help target prevention efforts.

More seniors being diagnosed with diabetes

The annual number of Americans aged 65 and over diagnosed with diabetes increased 23% between 1993-1994 and 2003-2004, according to a study in the Jan. 28th Archives of Internal Medicine. The study used Medicare claims and other data to examine trends in the rates of diabetes and its complications.

One-quarter of Medicare beneficiaries 65 and over had diabetes in 2003, up from 15% in 1994. The death rate for patients diagnosed with diabetes declined 8.3% over the period when compared with those who were not diagnosed with the disease. Most patients with diabetes experienced at least one complication within six years of diagnosis; for example, almost half had congestive heart failure.

“For Medicare, the message is that the increased burden of diabetes will contribute to increased budgetary pressures in the future,” the authors said.

ADA estimates diabetes costs nation $174 billion a year

A new report from the American Diabetes Association estimates diabetes cost the nation $174 billion in 2007. The estimate includes $116 billion in excess medical expenditures and $58 billion in reduced national productivity, according to the report by the Lewin Group.

Medical costs attributed to diabetes include $27 billion for care to directly treat diabetes, $58 billion to treat chronic complications attributed to diabetes, and $31 billion in excess general medical costs. Hospital inpatient care accounted for half of the estimated medical expenditures.

On average, medical expenditures are more than twice as much for patients with diabetes, the study estimates. As of 2007, 17.5 million U.S. residents have been diagnosed with diabetes, the study estimates, up from 12.1 million in 2002.

“The burden of diabetes is imposed on all sectors of society – higher insurance premiums paid by employees and employers, reduced earnings through productivity loss, and reduced overall quality of life for people with diabetes and their families and friends,” the report concludes.

Diabetes admissions up 85% over 12 years

Hospital admissions for patients with diabetes increased by 85% between 1993 and 2005 to 6.5 million, accounting for 17% of hospitalizations, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality reported on Septe. 6.

Seniors were five times more likely than the average American to be hospitalized with diabetes, with 10,000 hospitalizations per 100,000. People who live in poor communities were 80% more likely to be hospitalized with diabetes than people in more affluent areas.

A summary of the statistics, from AHRQ’s 2005 Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project, will be available online soon.

Study: Three in five diabetics have complications

New research presented at the annual meeting of the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists suggests that the majority of U.S. diabetics - a full three out of five - experience at least one major, costly complication, including heart disease, stroke, eye damage, chronic kidney disease or foot amputation. The research, which analyzed data gathered by the National Center for Health Statistics between 1999 and 2004, also found that one in 10 diabetics has two complications, one in fifteen has there complications and one in 13 has four or more complications.

Complications are most prevalent among diabetic Hispanics, at 68 percent. Fifty-nine percent of black diabetics experience complications, and 55 percent of white diabetics face complications, researchers concluded.

The cost of treating type 2 diabetes-related complications was $22.9 billion in 2006, in part due to the fact that patients with complications face costs which are three times higher than people without diabetes. "We are using the tools (to control diabetes) too late and spending too much money on complications," said Daniel Einhorn of the Sharp Diabetes Treatment and Research Center, a board member of the endocrinology association.

To learn more about the study read this Daily Health Policy Report item.

[ via FierceHealthcare ]