Impact of obesity on annual medical expenditures and diabetes care in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Aims/IntroductionDiabetes and obesity are important health and economic concerns. We investigated the influence of obesity on diabetes control, the annual medical expenditures and medications in Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes who were relatively lean in comparison with those in Western countries.Materials and MethodsA total of 402 Japanese patients with type 2 diabetes were enrolled and their annual medical expenditures investigated. Obesity was defined as body mass index ≥25 kg/m2, according to the obesity classifications from the Japan Society for the Study of Obesity.ResultsA total of 165 patients (41.0%) were classified as obese. The obese group was younger, had poor glycemic control and higher frequency of hypertension than the non‐obese group. The median total annual medical expenditures for all participants was ¥269,333 (interquartile range ¥169,664–437,437), which was equivalent to approximately $US2,450. The annual medical expenditure was significantly higher in patients with obesity than in non‐obese patients (P < 0.001). This difference was mainly attributed to the annual expenditures for medication and hospitalization. In particular, the medication expenditures and the average number of drug classes for hyperglycemia and hypertension were significantly higher in the obese group.ConclusionsJapanese patients with type 2 diabetes and obesity had higher annual medical expenditures and a larger number of medications, but their diabetes control care was insufficient in comparison with those without obesity. Further studies are required to assess the effect of reducing bodyweight on diabetes control and costs.

The Trends of Medical Care Expenditure with Adjustment of Lifestyle Habits and Medication; 10-Year Retrospective Follow-Up Study

“…Compared to individuals without diabetes, individuals with diabetes had a higher medical expenditure; the bulk of the expenditure came from medication and hospitalization [ 20 , 21 ]. In addition, annual medical expenditure was significantly higher for diabetic patients with obesity than those without obesity [ 18 , 22 , 23 ]. In Japan, the obesity-related cardiovascular risk factor that greatly attributed to medical expenditure was hypertension, independent of abdominal obesity [ 24 ].…”

Validation of a novel digital health monitoring system to measure the volume of voided urine

“…In Japan, the increase in the incidence rate of metabolic syndrome is associated with important increases in healthcare‐related costs . The Kumejima Health Project aims to develop digital health approaches to improve the personalized care of individuals with metabolic syndrome and to evaluate the benefits of an individualized treatment relative to usual care.…”

“…In Japan, the increase in the incidence rate of metabolic syndrome is associated with important increases in healthcare-related costs. 13 The Kumejima Health Project aims to develop digital health approaches to improve the personalized care of individuals with metabolic syndrome and to evaluate the benefits of an individualized treatment relative to usual care. At its end point in 2020, the goal of this project will be to confirm the usefulness and reliability of personalized health management systems, including the therapeutic value of these systems in reinforcing lifestyle changes by providing personalized goals and feedback.…”

“…The reliability of the s‐HMSU in measuring the volume of excreted urine would be useful to detect changes in voiding patterns, such as those associated with an overactive bladder, which could be related to changes in other parameters associated with metabolic syndrome, including increased body mass index and blood pressure, as well as changes in serum HbA1c levels and estimated glomerular filtration rate. Moreover, to confirm a diagnosis of nocturnal polyuria, which is the main cause of nocturia, it is necessary to record all episodes of voiding over a 24‐hour period. Now that we have validated the urine volume measures obtained using the s‐HMSU, the next step will be to use the s‐HMSU to collect urine data over a 24‐hour period among individuals with metabolic syndrome.…”

Production and Application of Octenyl Succinic-Modified Starch as Fat Replacer: A Review of Established and Recent Research

“…The World Health Organization (WHO) informed that in 2015 around 39% of the world inhabitants experienced overweight and 13% experienced obesity. The burden of medical care costs related to cases of obesity in developed countries continues to increase, for example in the USA of $3429/person/year (Biener et al, 2017), in Australia of $2501/person/year (Lee et al, 2018); in Japan of $2450/person/year (Kusunoki-Tsuji et al, 2018). Based on various negative impacts caused, various world health agencies such as WHO seriously encourage the reduction of fat, cholesterol and saturated fatty acids consumption.…”