Type 2 diabetes costs Australia $3 billion a year
26 September 2002
Type 2 diabetes is costing an average of nearly $11,000 a year for each sufferer in Australia, adding up to a total cost of $3 billion, according to DiabCost Australia.
DiabCost Australia is the first large scale national study into the burden of type 2 diabetes and was released today at the Australian Diabetes Society and Australian Diabetes Educators Association National Scientific meeting in Adelaide. The study analysed data from more than 10,500 respondents.
Chief study investigator and director of Diabetes Services at Sydney’s Prince of Wales Hospital Associate Professor Stephen Colagiuri said: ‘We know the epidemic proportions of type 2 diabetes with 7.4 per cent of the Australian population affected.
‘Now we have a true reflection of the staggering burden of the disease to the individual, community and government.’
The average costs per person were $5360 plus $5540 in benefits, such as pensions and sickness benefits from the Government, totalling $10,900.
The study found that the majority of direct health costs were associated with complications resulting in hospitalisation (32 per cent) and the use of medication to treat the complications (26 per cent).
Professor Colagiuri said that only 4 per cent of the total expended on treating the condition was spent on diabetes medications to control the disease.
The cost per person more than doubles when microvascular complications (foot/leg ulcers, eye problems, kidney problems and amputation) and macrovascular complications (heart attack and stroke) are present — from $4020 without complications to $9625 with complications.
Study respondents made an average of 10.5 visits to their general practitioner every year, received 0.4 home visits and had an average of 1.1 outpatient visits to hospitals. If admitted to hospital the length of stay averaged at 23.2 nights.
In the study one in 10 people with type 2 diabetes had a carer, the majority of whom performed the role for free.
Executive director of Diabetes Australia Brian Conway said: ‘Diabetes Australia is concerned that there are 500,000 people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes.’
This is about the same number of people as the number of people who have already been diagnosed, so there is the potential for the bill to the nation to double from $3 billion to $6 billion.
Professor Colagiuri said: ‘Early detection through screening programmes and action to slow or prevent the onset of complications will see reductions in the economic and personal burden of type 2 diabetes.’
Brian Conway added: ‘Governments, health professionals and individuals must continue to monitor those at risk of diabetes and ensure we find these people prior to the onset of complications.
‘Costs will soar unless more is done to diagnose and treat the disease.’
Last Reviewed: 26 September 2002
