MINNEAPOLIS, November 18, 2008—An Associated Press story says that diabetes costs are climbing rapidly, as the disease becomes the world's #1 health threat. The overall cost of treatment is $218 billion a year just in the U.S.

According to Novo Nordisk, the Danish insulin maker that sponsored the study, the $218 price tag includes direct medical care costs, insulin, pills, amputations, hospitalizations, plus indirect costs such as lost productivity, disability and early retirement.

The calculations are based on numbers from sources including databases on treatment of people with commercial insurance, Medicare and Medicaid, federal public health surveys and other sources.

That study was done in cooperation with the American Diabetes Association. It adds estimates for people who haven't been diagnosed yet ($18 billion), women who develop diabetes temporarily during pregnancy ($636 million) and those on track to develop diabetes, an increasingly common condition called pre-diabetes ($25 billion).

Novo Nordisk is to present the data Tuesday at a health care conference for corporate executives.

Associated Press story