Burden of Cardiovascular Risk Factors on the Frequency of Medical Consultations Among Japanese National Health Insurance Beneficiaries

概要

論文の詳細を見る
Background:Data from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) showthat Japan among OECD countries has the highest average number of medical consultations. The presentstudy estimates the burden of cardiovascular risk factors on the frequency of medical consultations amongJapanese National Health Insurance beneficiaries.Methods and Results:We analyzed data from 3,648 individuals aged 40-74 years who had participatedin health checks that were linked to monthly medical expenditure records with billing dates. The odds ratios(ORs) of factors for the prevalence of frequent medical consultations were calculated using a multivariablelogistic regression analysis. The population attributable fractions( PAF) of each factor for such prevalencedefined as over 12 medical consultations per year were also calculated as days. The odds ratios ofhypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes were 2.5 (95% confidence interval (CI) :2.1, 2.9), 2.3 (95% CI:1.9, 2.7) and 2.3( 95% CI:1.7, 3.1), respectively and the PAF were 29.0%, 20.5%, and 5.8%, respectively.The odds ratios of hypertension in men and women were 2.6( 95% CI:2.2, 3.3) and 2.6( 95% CI:2.1, 3.2),respectively with PAF of 33.4% and 27.4%, respectively.Conclusions:Hypertension imposes the largest burden on the frequency of medical consultations amongexamined factors. Therefore, preventing incident hypertension might be the most important factor influencingmedical expenditures.
2012-10-25