Disease Burden and Healthcare Costs for T2D Patients With and Without Established Cardiovascular Disease in Sweden: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is a complex chronic disease with an increasing prevalence worldwide. It is commonly associated with complications, such as cardiovascular disease (CVD). Patients with both T2D and established CVD are exposed to increased risk of further cardiovascular events, which means increased healthcare costs and impairments to quality of life and survival. To determine the added burden of CVD for T2D patients, we have analyzed the consumption and costs of healthcare and mortality in two T2D patient cohorts, with and without established CVD, respectively, during a 5-year follow-up in a Swedish region. Methods Patients with T2D on 1 January 2012 were identified using the administrative database of Region Östergötland and the Swedish National Diabetes Register. Established CVD was defined as the presence of a CVD-related healthcare visit in the period 2002–2011. Identified T2D patients were then followed retrospectively for 5 years (2012–2016) and data collected on utilization of healthcare resources, healthcare costs, and survival. Data pertinent to the study were retrieved from regional databases and national registries. Results On the index date (1 January 2012) there were 19,731 patients with T2D (prevalence 4.5%) in Region Östergötland, of whom 5490 had established CVD. Those patients with established CVD were older, more often men, and had longer diabetes duration and worse kidney function than those without. Compared to T2D patients without CVD, those with CVD had a significantly higher healthcare consumption, experienced higher costs, and had lower survival during the follow-up. Conclusion This study confirms that established CVD is common among patients with T2D (approximately 30%). Established CVD has negative effects on the utilization of healthcare resources, healthcare costs, and mortality. It is therefore very important to improve the treatment strategy of this patient group.