Economic Burden of Severe Hypoglycemia Among Patients With Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Bangladesh is anticipated to have the eighth-highest number of diabetic patients within the next 15 years. Approximately one-fifth of adult diabetes patients reside in Southeast Asian nations. This study aimed to find out the economic burden of extreme hypoglycemia on diabetic sufferers in Bangladesh. Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out amongst 164 Type 2 Diabetes sufferers admitted due to extreme hypoglycemia within 15 months at BIRDEM in Dhaka to decide if they have the impact of extreme hypoglycemia on the cost of illness. The cost was once expressed in BDT. Results: Direct medical cost (37058) and direct non-medical cost (5261) was estimated during the study. Among the direct medical cost, hospital cost was 17735, physician cost was 5745, nonmedical transport cost was 1802, and attendant cost was 3459. The total cost was 48743 BDT (€617) for each severe hypoglycemic event leading to hospitalization, and 6.4244 BDT (€82.4) would be the indirect cost of reduced productivity from spending 5.8 days (46.4 hours) in the hospital. Conclusion: The analysis indicates that hypoglycemia has a significant negative influence on the cost and reduces the work output of diabetics.