Diabetic foot ulcers double care costs per patient compared to diabetic patients without ulcers, according to a new study published in the March issue of Diabetes Care.
Researchers noted that diabetic ulcer care adds around $9 billion to $13 billion in yearly diabetic care expenses for patients in the U.S. They noted that the added costs place a substantial burden on patients and their families.
“Patients with diabetic foot ulcers can require considerable amounts of healthcare resources,” said Dr. Brad Rice, lead researcher on the study. “The incremental healthcare costs associated with diabetic foot ulcers are approximately twice that attributable to treating diabetes itself.”
Ulcer Study
For their study, researchers examined the annual per-patient care cost of diabetic individuals and diabetics with foot ulcers in hopes of determining the economic burden of ulcers.
“We used geographically diverse, real-world data on healthcare services and costs and controlled for a broad set of underlying differences between patients with a diabetic foot ulcer and a diabetes control population,” explained Rice.
After analyzing the data, researchers concluded:
- Annual healthcare costs ranged from $11,710 to $16,883 per patient with a foot ulcer on top of regular diabetic care costs.
- 25 percent of patients with diabetes develop a foot ulcer.
- Employed individuals with a diabetic foot ulcer incurred an average of $3,200 in annual work-loss costs due to disability and inability to work.
- Patients with a foot ulcer spent more time in the hospital, more days requiring home healthcare, more emergency room visits and more outpatient visits than individuals in the control group.
- Amputation was necessary in nearly 5 percent of patients with a foot ulcer.
Dr. Rice hopes the findings stress the importance of proper foot care in diabetic patients.
“We hope these findings will raise awareness of the costs associated with this condition, as such knowledge may help optimize wound management, including better monitoring and targeted early intervention with appropriate treatments to identify and heal these wounds as quickly as possible, which could in turn avoid some severe and costly outcomes.”
Dr. Silverman comments
The world would benefit from heeding Dr. Rice’s advice. Ulcers are one of the most preventable foot conditions so long as you practice proper care techniques. Nobody should have to suffer through the pain of a foot ulcer or the financial hardships caused by missing work.
Ask your doctor for care techniques, and be proactive about your condition.
Related source: Medscape