[The costs of diabetes mellitus and its complications in Germany].

Analysis of hospital data makes it possible to gain an interesting insight into the quality and actuality of care of diabetic patients. But it also demonstrates what immense costs arise annually in Germany, especially in the treatment of diabetes-associated complications. The KODIM (costs of diabetes mellitus) study used anonymized data of a sample of patients insured with two German health insurances (AOK Hessen and KV Hessen). The data were based on the codes for diagnoses and services rendered as entered on the patients' medical certificate. Treatment costs of the underlying illness (prescriptions of antidiabetic drugs, medical consultations etc.) was around Euro 542 per diabetic patient for the year 2001. But the total cost of the treatment of diabetes-associated complications, averaging Euro 1,563, was very much greater. Total excess cost per patient per year was almost Euro 4,000. As the prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing in Germany each year by around 5 %, a marked increase is to be expected in costs to be met by the health service. Restrictions and decreased costs of the treatment of the underlying disease, as planned or already partly realized, may in future actually lead to an increase in the costs incurred in the diagnosis and treatment of diabetes-associated complications.