The cost-effectiveness of intensive therapy for diabetes mellitus

Although patients with diabetes constitute only 3.1% of the United States population, costs for their care account for 11.9% of total United States health care expenditures. Approximately half of the expenditures for medical care for diabetes are for treatment of the metabolic condition and half for the treatment of chronic complications. Intensive therapy for patients with diabetes uses more resources and is more expensive than conventional therapy. On the other hand, intensive therapy is associated with a lower incidence of costly chronic complications. Formal economic analyses have demonstrated that intensive therapy is cost-effective for the treatment of diabetes.