Prevalence and Current Management of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Korean Adults Based on Fact Sheets

Abstract

Korea is currently an aged society and is on the cusp of becoming a superaged society in a few years. The health burden of cardiovascular diseases increases with age, and the increasing prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, such as obesity, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and dyslipidemia, may be linked to increased population-level cardiovascular risk. In 2018, the prevalence of obesity in Korea was 35.7% (men, 45.4%; women, 26.5%) according to the Obesity Fact Sheet 2019, based on National Health Insurance Corporation medical checkup data. In 2016, the prevalence of diabetes was 14.4% in Koreans older than 30 years according to the Diabetes Fact Sheet published by the Korean Diabetes Association, based on data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The prevalence of hypertension in the total population of Korea in 2018 was 28.3% according to the Korean Hypertension Fact Sheet produced by the Korean Society of Hypertension. Lastly, the prevalence of dyslipidemia in 2018 was 40.5% according to the Dyslipidemia Fact Sheet published by the Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis. In this article, I would like to review the prevalence and current management of cardiovascular risk factors in Korea according to the fact sheets released by various associations.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Dyslipidemias; Fact sheet; Hypertension; Obesity; Risk factors.

Fig. 1. Prevalence of obesity in the last 10 years (2009 to 2018). Obesity was defined as a body mass index equal to or higher than 25 kg/m². Modified from the guidelines of Korean Society for the Study of Obesity [2].

Fig. 2. Prevalence of risk factors in Korean adults.

Fig. 3. Prevalence of diabetes by age and sex (2016). Diabetes was defined if they satisfied any of the following four criteria: (1) having been diagnosed with diabetes by a doctor, (2) currently taking anti-diabetic medications, (3) having a fasting plasma glucose ≥ 126 mg/dL, or (4) having a hemoglobin A1c level ≥6.5%. Modified from the guidelines of Korean Diabetes Association [3].

Fig. 4. Management of risk factors in Korean adults.

Fig. 5. Changes in the prevalence of hypertension by age and sex over time. Hypertension was defined as a blood pressure ≥140/90 mm Hg and/or taking anti-hypertensive medication. Modified from the guidelines of Korean Society of Hypertension [4].

Fig. 6. Prevalence of dyslipidemia by age group in Korean adults. Dyslipidemia diagnosed in individuals who satisfied one of the three following criteria: a low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ≥160 mg/dL, a high-density lipoprotein cholesterol <40 mg/dL, or a triglyceride ≥200 mg/dL. Individuals taking any medications for dyslipidemia or who were previously diagnosed with dyslipidemia were also classified as having dyslipidemia. Modified from the guidelines of Korean Society of Lipid and Atherosclerosis [5].

Fig. 7. Concurrent treatment of hypertension, diabetes, and dyslipidemia in Korean adults. Modified from the guidelines of Korean Diabetes Association [3].