Diabetes drains your wallet when paired with kidney problems or poor blood sugar control

It's no secret that diabetes is one of the most costly diseases to manage.

And, according to a recent study, if you have kidney problems or issues controlling your blood sugar, diabetes is going to be even more expensive.

The cost of living with diabetes

Researchers at Canada's University of Calgary found that the average cost for a diabetic over the course of five years was about $26,978. This amount does not include the cost of medications.

For patients who were older than 65, the cost jumped up to a whopping $44,511, including medication, for five years of care.

The study included 138,662 diabetes patients.

If patients had poor kidney function, kidney damage or HbA1c (a measure of blood sugar) over 7.9 percent, their diabetes costs increased. Normal HbA1c levels are usually under about 5.7 percent, while those with diabetes tend to have levels above 6.5 percent.

Factors that increase costs

Being older, living with diabetes longer and having other diseases in addition to diabetes were all factors that were also associated with higher costs of care.

The study authors concluded that while diabetes in and of itself is costly, caring for patients with kidney or blood sugar problems makes it significantly more expensive.

They hope that future studies can determine whether or not better diabetes care can help lower costs.

Source: DailyRx