Cost of medical care among type 2 diabetic patients with a co-morbid condition-Hypertension in India

The aim was to estimate the cost of medical care among hospitalized diabetic patients and to assess the influence of an additional co-morbid condition-hypertension. A pre tested and validated questionnaire was interviewer administered among 443 (male:female, 235:208) hospitalized diabetic patients. The JNC VII criteria for hypertension was considered to divide the study population into two groups; group I - diabetic patients without hypertension (ri = 269) and group II - diabetic patients with hypertension (n = 174). Details of cost of inpatient and out-patient care and expenditure on hospitalization for the previous 2 years were obtained. The prevalence of hypertension among the study subjects was 39.3% (174 subjects). Presence of hypertension made a significant impact on the expenditure pattern. On an average a diabetic patient with hypertension spent 1.4 times more than a diabetic subject without hypertension. Median cost per hospitalization, length of stay during admission, and cost of 2 years for inpatient admission were all significantly higher for diabetic patients with a co-morbid condition. There is a need to develop a protocol on cost effective strategy for diabetes care. Strict control of hypertension should be targeted to avoid excess treatment cost on diabetes care. (C) 2008 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.