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Economic Impact of Diabetes in Japan

  • Economics and Policy in Diabetes (AA Baig and N Laiteerapong, Section Editors)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Purpose of review

The economic burden of diabetes in Japan is already serious and will become greater in the future. We review the economic impact of diabetes in Japan to examine viable options for mitigating its effects.

Recent findings

Medical costs for diabetes have been increasing by US $1 million annually, reaching US $11 million in 2009, of which US $7 million was accounted for by people aged 65 years or older. The quality of treatment of diabetes in Japan is higher than in other regions in the world. This can be more effective for achieving glycemic control, but is also more expensive compared with conventional treatment.

Summary

Because of the high cost of diabetes in Japan, a coordinated response is needed. Intervention trials for people with prediabetes aimed at preventing the occurrence of diabetes seem to be the most cost-effective method for lowering the medical costs of diabetes, rather than the use of new, expensive antidiabetic drugs in patients with established diabetes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Pediatrics, Nihon University School of Medicine, 1-6 Kandasurugadai, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan

    Tatsuhiko Urakami, Remi Kuwabara & Kei Yoshida

Authors
  1. Tatsuhiko Urakami
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  2. Remi Kuwabara
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  3. Kei Yoshida
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Tatsuhiko Urakami.

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Tatsuhiko Urakami, Remi Kuwabara, and Kei Yoshida declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Economics and Policy in Diabetes

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Urakami, T., Kuwabara, R. & Yoshida, K. Economic Impact of Diabetes in Japan. Curr Diab Rep 19, 2 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-019-1122-9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11892-019-1122-9

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