U.S. study reveals cost of healthcare higher for adults with diabetes for 10 years leading up to diagnosis

U.S. Centers for Disease Control researchers found adults aged 25 to 64 years who were diagnosed with diabetes during the study period had increased medical expenses up to 10 years before diagnosis. At 10 years before diagnosis, patients had total medical expenses of $4,722 compared with $3,679 for those in the control cohort. The diabetes cohort also had higher medical expenses 10 years after diagnosis ($11,886 vs. $5,724). The researchers noted a spike in the year before and after diagnosis, followed by a decrease and plateau in years two through five and a gradual increase from years six to 10. Excess medical costs in the year after diagnosis were the highest ($8,109) when comparing the two cohorts, reaching a mean of $6,162 by year 10.