The Cost of Diabetes in Latin America and the Caribbean
Diabetes mellitus presents a high burden for individuals and society. This burden is not only related to health care costs, but also to indirect costs caused by loss of productivity from disability and premature mortality. Medical expenditures for people with diabetes are 2–3 times higher than for those not affected by diabetes. In Latin America and the Caribbean, many people with diabetes have limited access to health care, which means that indirect costs may exceed direct health care costs. This paper measures the economic costs of diabetes. It has been published in the Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2003, 81 (1), is part of the effort being made by the PAHO Program on Non-Communicable Diseases to combat and reduce diabetes prevalence.   (23/Jan/2003)
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