Resource consumption and costs in Dutch patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Results from 29 general practices

Abstract

Aims: The aims of this study were to estimate the costs incurred by Dutch patients with Type 2 diabetes, examine which patient and/or treatment characteristics are associated with costs, and estimate the medical and non-medical costs of patients with Type 2 diabetes in The Netherlands.

Methods: Twenty-nine Dutch general practitioners provided information on all Type 2 diabetes patients in their practice (n = 1371), information on demography, clinical characteristics, treatment type, the presence of complications and the type and amount of medical consumption during the previous 6 months. Medical costs were analysed using multivariate linear regression. Estimates of costs seen in The Netherlands were based on these results plus information from other sources regarding costs of end-stage renal disease, appliances, travel and productivity loss.

Results: Although only 9% of patients were hospitalized within the previous 6 months, hospitalization costs represented one-third of the medical costs, drug costs 40% and ambulatory costs 26%. Patients using insulin, patients with macrovascular complications only or in combination with microvascular complications incurred higher medical costs than other patients. Age and hyperlipidaemia were also positively related to medical costs. When these results were combined with other data sources, we estimated that patients with Type 2 diabetes are responsible for pound365 500 000 (1 271 000 000 guilders) or 3.4% of the relevant parts of health care costs in 1998. The non-medical costs (travel costs, productivity costs) are limited: 52 500 000 (183 000 000 guilders).

Conclusions: Independent determinants of the medical costs of Type 2 diabetes in The Netherlands include age, complications, insulin use and hyperlipidaemia.