Article ID Journal Published Year Pages File Type
2797749 Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice 2010 6 Pages PDF
Abstract

AimsThe number of prescription medications and out-of-pocket expenses of individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were evaluated to assess the economic burden of diabetes.MethodsThe self-reported number of prescription medications and out-of-pocket healthcare expenses were evaluated from respondents of the United States SHIELD study with and without a diagnosis of T2DM. Medications included monotherapy and combination therapy; combination tablets were counted as one agent. Analysis of variance and multivariate linear regression models adjusted for age, gender, prescription insurance coverage, and household income.ResultsOf the T2DM respondents (n = 3551), 40% were on 1 prescription antidiabetic agent (7% insulin alone), 26% were on 2 agents, 8% were on ≥3 agents, with a mean of 1.3 antidiabetic agents. After adjusting for age, gender, insurance coverage, and income, respondents with T2DM had a significantly larger total number of prescriptions (6.2) and higher out-of-pocket expenses for both annual medical ($1158) and monthly prescription ($144) expenses, compared with respondents without T2DM (n = 8686) (4.1 prescriptions, $925 annual medical, $118 monthly prescription) (p < 0.01).ConclusionsIncreased out-of-pocket medical and medication costs in T2DM are due to the use of both antidiabetic agents and other medications for treatment of comorbid conditions.

Related Topics
Life Sciences Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology Endocrinology
Authors
, , , ,