Care cost for pregnant and parturient women with diabetes and mild hyperglycemia

objective: to compare inpatient and outpatient care costs for pregnant/parturient women with diabetes and mild hyperglycemia. methods: a prospective observational quantitative study was conducted in the perinatal diabetes center in the city of botucatu, southeastern brazil, between 2007 and 2008. direct and indirect costs and disease-specific costs (medications and tests) were estimated. thirty diet-treated pregnant women with diabetes were followed up on an outpatient basis, and 20 who required insulin therapy were hospitalized. results: the cost of diabetes disease (prenatal and delivery care) was us$ 3,311.84 for inpatients and us$ 1,366.04 for outpatients. conclusions: direct and indirect costs as well as total prenatal care cost were higher for diabetic inpatients while delivery care costs and delivery-postpartum hospitalization were similar. prenatal and delivery-postpartum care costs were higher for these patients compared to those paid by brazilian national health system.