Cost of diabetes-related complications: current issues, future directions

The costs of diabetes are significant, approaching US$100 billion. Medical costs for patients with diabetes are between two- and four-times higher per patient per year when compared to persons without diabetes. Long-term complications of diabetes are likely to account for much of this excess. However, the total economic burden related to diabetes complications is not fully understood due to several factors. These include diagnostic, comorbidity and coding issues, as well as limitations in longitudinal data and the lack of information on the impact to work productivity. Future diabetes care and cost estimates will benefit from the use of electronic medical records.