Metabolic Syndrome Risks Drive Up Healthcare Costs 60%
Author: Mary Ann Liebert Inc
Published: 2009/09/17 - Updated: 2025/12/29
Publication Details: Peer-Reviewed, Findings
Category Topic: Invisible - Related Publications
Page Content: Synopsis - Introduction - Main - Insights, Updates
Synopsis: This research, published in the peer-reviewed journal Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., presents findings from a comprehensive two-year study involving over 170,000 participants that demonstrates how metabolic syndrome risk factors substantially increase healthcare expenditures. The study reveals that individuals with risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated blood lipid levels face healthcare costs nearly 1.6 times higher than those without these conditions - approximately $2,000 more per year - with each additional risk factor driving costs up by an average of 24%.
For people managing both diabetes and metabolic syndrome risk factors, annual healthcare expenses nearly double compared to those with metabolic syndrome risks alone. This information proves particularly valuable for patients, caregivers, healthcare providers, and insurance planners who need to understand the economic implications of preventable health conditions, and it underscores why early intervention and risk factor management can lead to significant cost savings while improving health outcomes for millions of Americans, including many in the disability community who may already face elevated healthcare expenses - Disabled World (DW).
Introduction
Risk factors for metabolic syndrome, such as obesity, high blood pressure, and elevated blood lipid levels, can increase a person's healthcare costs nearly 1.6-fold, or about $2,000 per year. For each additional risk factor those costs rise an average of 24%, according to an illuminating article in a recent issue of Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders , a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.
Main Content
Metabolic syndrome risk factors drive significantly higher health care costs.
A two-year study that compared annual healthcare costs for people with and without diabetes found both higher healthcare utilization and significantly greater expenses ($5,732 versus $3,581 per year) for those who had risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
A group of researchers from:
- Genzyme (Cambridge, MA).
- University of Arizona, Tucson.
- Sanofi-Aventis (Bridgewater, NJ).
- United BioSource Corp. (Bethesda, MD).
- The Center for Health Studies (Seattle, WA).
- Northwest Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon.
- Kaiser Permanente's Colorado Clinical Research Unit in Denver.
Led by D.M. Boudreau, PhD, from United BioSource, evaluated healthcare utilization among more than 170,000 men and women, approximately 58% of whom had risk factors for metabolic syndrome.
Health Care Utilization and Costs by Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors
The study, entitled "Health Care Utilization and Costs by Metabolic Syndrome Risk Factors," also compared the annual healthcare costs for subjects who had both diabetes and metabolic syndrome risk factors and found them to be nearly double the costs for people who did not have diabetes but had similar risk factors for metabolic syndrome ($8,067 vs. $4,638).
"This important study clearly brings home the enormous economic burden that the metabolic syndrome extracts in a very large sample. Future studies should be directed at targeting the dyslipidemia, hypertension, etc., to see what the savings would be with respect to complications and economic burden," says Ishwarlal (Kenny) Jialal, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal and Robert E. Stowell Endowed Chair in Experimental Pathology, Director of the Laboratory for Atherosclerosis and Metabolic Research, and Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of California, Davis Medical Center, in Sacramento, CA.
Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders Journal
Metabolic Syndrome and Related Disorders is the only peer-reviewed journal to focus solely on the pathophysiology, recognition, and treatment of metabolic syndrome. The Journal covers a range of topics including insulin resistance, central obesity, glucose intolerance, dyslipidemia with elevated triglycerides, predominance of small dense LDL-cholesterol particles, hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, and oxidative stress and inflammation.
Insights, Analysis, and Developments
Editorial Note: The financial burden documented in this study extends beyond individual pocketbooks to affect healthcare systems, insurance premiums, and societal resources at large. What makes these findings particularly striking is not just the magnitude of increased costs, but their preventability - many metabolic syndrome risk factors respond well to lifestyle modifications and medical management. For the 58% of study participants who presented with these risk factors, the research suggests that targeted interventions addressing hypertension, dyslipidemia, and obesity could yield substantial economic benefits while simultaneously improving quality of life. As healthcare costs continue to climb nationwide, this evidence strengthens the case for preventive care programs and early screening initiatives that identify at-risk individuals before complications develop, potentially saving both money and lives through proactive rather than reactive medical care - Disabled World (DW).Attribution/Source(s): This peer reviewed publication was selected for publishing by the editors of Disabled World (DW) due to its relevance to the disability community. Originally authored by Mary Ann Liebert Inc and published on 2009/09/17, this content may have been edited for style, clarity, or brevity.