Cost of treating type 2 diabetes rising

The cost of treating type 2 diabetes has soared in recent years, according to new research. Medical expenditures for diabetes in the United States nearly doubled between 2001 and 2007, and the country now devotes about one out of every 10 health care dollars to treating the disease.

Nearly 24 million Americans now have diabetes, according to government statistics. Rising levels of obesity mean the situation is only going to get worse in the coming years, and it is already taking a big financial toll.

Research from Stanford and the University of Chicago finds that type 2 diabetes costs have nearly doubled in recent years; rising from $6.7 billion in 2001 to $12.5 billion in 2007.

In part, the sharp increase is due to the way diabetes is treated. Patients are given newer, more expensive drugs such as Actos or Avandia. More patients are also treated with multiple medications. In 1994, 82 percent of patients were prescribed a single drug, compared with 47 percent in 2007.

The costs add up. A person with diabetes has twice the medical costs as someone without the disease. Experts say the news should be extra incentive for those with pre-diabetes, an estimated 57 million Americans, to improve their diet and exercise habits so that they can avoid developing the full-blown disorder.