Estimation of primary care treatment costs and treatment efficacy for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007*.
OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to characterize the financial cost and efficacy of primary care treatment for diabetes in the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007.


METHODS
Retrospective data were analysed for people with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes along with matched control subjects using data from The Health Improvement Network. Costs were attributed from published sources and adjusted for price inflation. Type 2 diabetes was analysed by five commonly used treatment regimens.


RESULTS
It was possible to identify 126 052 people for inclusion: 11 300 (8.9%) with Type 1 diabetes and 114 752 (91.1%) with Type 2. The overall mean prescribing costs per person per year (pppy) increased markedly for people with diabetes from 1997 to 2007: for Type 1, from 573 pounds to 1014 pounds pppy (+77%), and for Type 2, from 39 pounds to 740 pounds pppy (+89%). In 2007, diabetes-treatment-specific prescribing represented 57% of prescribing costs in Type 1 diabetes and 28% in Type 2 diabetes. In Type 2 diabetes there was a mean of 5.4 primary care consultations in 1997, increasing to 11.5 pppy in 2007 (+112%). In 1997 the total mean cost of primary care treatment for Type 2 diabetes was 602 pounds pppy, increasing to 1080 pounds in 2007. In Type 1 diabetes, the mean glycated haemoglobin decreased by 0.1% from 8.8% in 2001 to 8.7% in 2007; the corresponding change using insulin in Type 2 diabetes was also 0.1%. Greater improvement in blood pressure and lipids was evident.


CONCLUSIONS
Over the 10 year period to 2007, diabetes-related primary care adjusted costs increased considerably, whereas glycated haemoglobin values did not improve at all over the same period.
Currie
C J
CJ
Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK. currie@cardiff.ac.uk
Gale
E A M
EA
Poole
C D
CD
D000293:Adolescent; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000191:economics*; D005260:Female; D017048:Health Care Costs; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians' / Q000191:economics*; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000191:economics*; D006113:United Kingdom