The epidemiology of diabetes in Korea

Dae Jung Kim, Dae Jung Kim

Abstract

Diabetes is an increasing global health problem worldwide. Diabetes and its complications have become a major cause of morbidity and mortality in Korea. The prevalence of diabetes in Korea has increased six- to seven-fold from 1.5% to 9.9% in the past 40 years. The prevalence of impaired fasting glucose also increased to about 20% in 2009. The International Diabetes Federation has estimated that the prevalence of diabetes will rise to 11.4% in 2030. Possible risk factors for diabetes in Korea are age, male gender, obesity, prediabetes, gestational diabetes, smoking, decreased physical activity, and short sleep duration. With increasing obesity, especially in childhood, and improved longevity, the prevalence of diabetes is expected to dramatically increase more than previously estimated. Therefore, public efforts to introduce healthy lifestyle changes and diabetic prevention programs are necessary to reduce the global epidemic of diabetes.

Keywords: Diabetes mellitus; Epidemiology; Incidence; Prediabetic state; Prevalence.

Conflict of interest statement

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Prevalence of diabetes and IFG among Korean adults in 2007-2009. DM, diabetes mellitus; IFG, impaired fasting glucose.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Trend in prevalence of diabetes in Korea. KMIC, Korea Medical Insurance Corporation; KNHANES, Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

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Source: PubMed

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