Disease burden of urinary tract infections among type 2 diabetes mellitus patients in the U.S.

AIMS: Type 2 diabetes is a reported risk factor for more frequent and severe urinary tract infections (UTI). We sought to quantify the annual healthcare cost burden of UTI in type 2 diabetic patients. METHODS: Adult patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes were identified in MarketScan administrative claims data. UTI occurrence and costs were assessed during a 1-year period. We examined UTI-related visit and antibiotic costs among patients diagnosed with UTI, comparing those with versus without a history of UTI in the previous year (prevalent vs. incident UTI cases). We estimated the total incremental cost of UTI by comparing all-cause healthcare costs in patients with versus without UTI, using propensity score-matched samples. RESULTS: Within the year, 8.2% (6,014/73,151) of subjects had ≥1 UTI, of whom 33.8% had a history of UTI. UTI-related costs among prevalent versus incident cases were, respectively, $603 versus $447 (p=0.033) for outpatient services, $1,607 versus $1,819 (p=NS) for hospitalizations, and $61 versus $35 (p<0.0001) for antibiotics. UTI was associated with a total all-cause incremental cost of $7,045 (95% CI: 4,130, 13,051) per patient with UTI per year. CONCLUSIONS: UTI is common and may impose a substantial direct medical cost burden among patients with type 2 diabetes.