OBJECTIVES: The incidence of diabetes and Alzheimer’s is on a rise globally. Almost 70% of diabetes patients develop Alzheimer’s disease¹. In 2019, approximately 5.8 million Americans were estimated to be living with this condition². Alzheimer’s is associated with high medical costs. However, the economic burden of Alzheimer’s among adults with diabetes in the recent years is unknown. We aim to estimate the annual direct medical expenditure among adults with diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease using the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS) 2013-2017 dataset.

METHODS: Diabetic adults with Alzheimer’s disease were identified using the ICD-10 codes for 2017, 2016 and ICD-9 codes for 2015, 2014, and 2013. Mean direct medical expenditures were estimated using a two-part model and were adjusted for relevant covariates such as demographics and comorbidities. Data was analyzed using SAS version 9.4.

RESULTS: A total of 234 subjects in the MEPS dataset had Alzheimer’s disease. Among these, 83 subjects had both diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease. The mean direct medical expenditure was $24,066 in 2013, $26,752.24 in 2014, $40,714.72 in 2015, $28,339 in 2016 and $24,424.71 in 2017 respectively. Weighted mean direct medical expenditure for the pooled sample was found to be $28,905.81. After adjusting for relevant demographic and co-morbidity covariates, individuals with Alzheimer’s and diabetes were estimated to have ­­­$39,321(95 % CI: $38470, $40173) (p <.0001) higher yearly expenditures respectively as compared to individuals with Alzheimer’s and no diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS: Alzheimer’s is a significant cost driver among individuals with diabetes. The estimated increasing medical expenditures for diabetes and Alzheimer’s represent an enormous public and economic burden on the U.S. healthcare system.