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Review
. 2015 Jun;30(2):142-6.
doi: 10.3803/EnM.2015.30.2.142. Epub 2015 May 18.

Trends in the Diabetes Epidemic in Korea

Kyoung Hwa Ha  1 , Dae Jung Kim  2
Affiliations
Review

Trends in the Diabetes Epidemic in Korea

Kyoung Hwa Ha et al. Endocrinol Metab (Seoul). 2015 Jun.

Abstract

Diabetes mellitus is a leading cause of mortality and increased disability-adjusted life years worldwide. In Korea, the prevalence of diabetes increased from 8.6% to 11.0% in 2001 to 2013 and the prevalence of adult obesity, which is the most important risk factor of diabetes, increased from 29.2% to 31.8% during the same period. There has been a dramatic increase in the number of obese Koreans with diabetes in recent decades and the prevalence of diabetes in people aged 40 years and older also increased in 2001 to 2013. Nevertheless, the mean age at the first diagnosis of diabetes was very similar for men in 2005 and 2013, while the mean age for women decreased slightly. There is an inverse linear relationship between body mass index and age at the diagnosis of diabetes among those who are newly diagnosed. Accordingly, the prevalence of diabetes is increasingly shifting to younger individuals and those who are obese. Therefore, public efforts should focus on healthy lifestyle changes, primary prevention measures, screening for the early detection of diabetes, and long-term management.

Keywords: Age; Diabetes mellitus; Epidemiology; Korea; National survey; Obesity; Prevalence.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1. (A-C) Prevalence of diabetes and obesity among Korean adults aged ≥30 years in 2001 to 2013.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2. Distribution of obesity in diabetic (A) men and (B) women in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001 to 2013. We defined obesity using the following body mass index (BMI) categories: normal (BMI<23 kg/m2), overweight (23≤BMI<25 kg/m2), and obese (BMI≥25 kg/m2).
Fig. 3
Fig. 3. Age-specific prevalence rates of diabetes among Koreans during 2001 to 2013.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4. Age at the initial diagnosis of diabetes in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005 to 2013.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5. Association of body mass index (BMI) and age at diagnosis in newly diagnosed subjects with diabetes in the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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