Background and objective: For individuals with hypertension, diabetes, or hypercholesterolemia, the relative magnitude of cardiovascular risk factors and the effect of multiple risk factors remains controversial and both treatment practices and health care usage vary. We sought to determine the effect of hypertension, diabetes, hypercholesterolemia, and their combinations on health care utilization and health status through analysis of data from a large national survey.
Methods: We applied the Anderson model to a cross-sectional representative sample (n=15,107) of the U.S. civilian, noninstitutionalized population (the 1996 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey).
Results: For diabetes, additional risk factors did not increase the likelihood of emergency room (ER) visits or hospitalizations but were associated with increased outpatient visits and poorer health status. For hypertension, additional risk factors increased the likelihood of hospitalization (but not ER visits), the number of outpatient visits, and poorer health status. For hypercholesterolemia, additional risk factors were associated with increased likelihood of ER visits, hospitalizations, and poorer health status but not more outpatient visits. Diabetes had the largest effect on health care utilization and health status.
Conclusion: These findings re-emphasize the magnitude of diabetes as a major risk factor associated with increased ER visits, hospitalizations, outpatients visits, and lower health status.