Research Activities, February 2011: Agency News and Notes: The number of U.S. adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007

Agency News and Notes
The number of U.S. adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007

Approximately 19 million U.S. adults reported receiving treatment for diabetes in 2007, more than double the 9 million who said they received care in 1996, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). The Agency also found that between 1996 and 2007:

* The number of people aged 65 and older treated for diabetes increased from 4.3 million to 8 million; for people aged 45 to 64, the increase was 3.6 million to 8.9 million; and for 18 to 44 year-olds, the increase went from 1.2 million to 2.4 million.
* Treatment costs for diabetes, paid by all sources, more than doubled, rising from $18.5 billion in 1996 (in 2007 dollars) to $41 billion in 2007.
* Outpatient care costs also doubled from about $5 billion to roughly $10 billion.
* Total prescription drug costs increased fourfold from $4 billion to $19 billion over the 11-year period. Per patient, the cost of prescription medicines more than doubled, rising from $495 in 1996 to $1,048 a year in 2007.

The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services and how they are paid. To view the summary, go to http://www.meps.ahrq.gov/mepsweb/data_files/publications/st304/stat304.shtml.

For more information, contact Bob Isquith at bob.isquith@ahrq.hhs.gov or call (301) 427-1539.
Research Activities, February 2011: Agency News and Notes: The number of U.S. adults treated for diabetes more than doubled between 1996 and 2007