dependent. There were significant increases in annual hospitalization rates among patients aged 20 to 29 years, but not among younger subjects. "Rates of hospitalizations were consistently higher for females than for males throughout the time period," Lee's team reports. "Furthermore, increases in hospitalization rates were significantly greater for females (42 percent) than for males (29 percent)." Inflation-adjusted annual hospital costs for diabetes increased 130 percent, from $1.05 billion in 1993 to $2.42 billion in 2004. With the rising rate of diabetes among youngsters, the researchers see the number of hospitalizations increasing even more over coming years.
