The joint impact of cardiovascular risk factors upon medical costs

Objective. The joint impact of obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia upon medical costs is not well known. Our objective was to evaluate the joint impact of these cardiovascular risk factors upon medical costs in the rural Japanese population. Methods. The data were derived from a 6-year prospective observation of National Health Insurance beneficiaries in rural Japan. Data on blood chemistry tests, blood pressure, weight, and height were obtained from an annual health check-up provided by the local municipalities in 1995. We prospectively collected data on medical costs over a 6-year period for 12,340 subjects (5306 men and 7034 women) without prior histories of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Results. Mean medical costs for individuals being overweight/obese, hypertensive, and hyperglycemic were 91.0% higher than those for individuals without any of these three cardiovascular risk factors. In this cohort, 17.2% of total medical costs were attributable to these three risk factors. Conclusion. Overweight/obesity, hypertension, and hyperglycemia could have a large impact on health care resources in rural Japan. (C) 2006 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.