If you have diabetes, you spend thousands of dollars more on your medical expenses each year than a person without the disease, according to a new study from a research institute in North Carolina. In addition, your expenses will go up substantially every year.
The study data said that a 50-year-old patient just diagnosed with diabetes will spend over $4,100 more on medical care a year than someone the same age who doesn't have diabetes, and the number increases more than $150 a year. The study was published online Tuesday in the journal Diabetes Care.
Here are some quotes from the story:
"The good news is that many of these costs could be contained through proper diabetes management and lifestyle changes," lead author and RTI research economist Justin Trogdon said in an American Diabetes Association news release.
"Numerous studies show that losing weight and increasing physical activity, along with maintaining proper blood glucose levels, can substantially delay or reduce the risk for diabetes-related complications. What our study does is to point out that there is also a cumulative, financial impact to the progression of this disease."
Here's the story in the Washington Post:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/11/25/AR2008112500742.html