[Detailed analysis of the societal costs of diabetes mellitus]

Estimation of the societal costs of diabetes and related complications in support of the revision of the diabetes guidelines.

Retrospective and descriptive cross-sectional study.

Relative risks (RRs) of diabetes complications, by age, were determined by comparing patients with and without diabetes. Using existing 1994 General Practitioner registry data on prevalence, on costs of illnesses and on absenteeism, the contribution of diabetes to the costs of other illnesses was estimated on the basis of aetiological fractions calculated with the RRs found. Cost due to absenteeism by diabetes complications were calculated using the friction method.

In 1994, the societal cost of diabetes were 1.67 milliard Dutch guilders (1.55-1.87; range determined by applying the 95% confidence intervals of the RRs; in Euro: 758 million (703-848). The costs due to absenteeism from work were almost 0.2 milliard. The medical costs of diabetes were 2.5% of the health care budget. The contribution of diabetes to the medical costs of cardiovascular diseases was 14%.