AIMS: Type 2 diabetes is a reported risk factor for more frequent and severe urinary tract infections (UTI).
We sought to quantify the annual healthcare cost burden of UTI in type 2 diabetic patients.
METHODS: Adult patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were identified in MarketScan administrative claims data. UTI occurrence and costs were assessed during a 1-year period. We examined UTI-related visit and antibiotic costs among patients diagnosed with UTI, comparing those with versus without a history of UTI in the previous year (prevalent vs. incident UTI cases). We estimated the total incremental cost of UTI by comparing all-cause healthcare costs in patients with versus without UTI, using propensity score-matched samples.
RESULTS: Within the year, 8.2% (6,014/73,151) of subjects had ≥1 UTI, of whom 33.8% had a history of UTI. UTI-related costs among prevalent versus incident cases were, respectively, $603 versus $447 (p=0.033) for outpatient services, $1,607 versus $1,819 (p=NS) for hospitalizations, and $61 versus $35 (p< 0.0001) for antibiotics. UTI was associated with a total all-cause incremental cost of $7,045 (95% CI: 4,130, 13,051) per patient with UTI per year.
CONCLUSIONS: UTI is common and may impose a substantial direct medical cost burden among patients with type 2 diabetes.
Written by:
Yu S, Fu AZ, Qiu Y, Engel SS, Shankar R, Brodovicz KG, Rajpathak S, Radican L. Are you the author?
Merck Sharp & Dohme Co., 1 Merck Drive, P.O. Box 100, Whitehouse Station, NJ 08889; Georgetown University Medical Center, 3300 Whitehaven Street NW, Suite 4100 - Milton Harris Bldg. Washington, DC 20007. ;
Reference: J Diabetes Complications. 2014 Sep-Oct;28(5):621-6.
doi: 10.1016/j.jdiacomp.2014.03.012
PubMed Abstract
PMID: 24929797